93 is a BIG Number!

March 2 is another special birthday in my world.

My MaMa is 93 years old today!

At 93, MaMa still lives by herself, drives, cooks, and sells Avon. She goes for afternoon walks and plants a garden every summer. MaMa gets in the floor and plays everything that my little cousin (her great-grandchild) wants her to play, just the same as she did when we were all little. I am constantly amazed at all the things she is able to do despite her age.  

I am very blessed to have had both grandmothers that lived into their 90s. Not only did they provide a great heritage for us, but they have also blessed us with countless wonderful memories of times we shared together.

MaMa lived about 2 hours from us when we were growing up, so time spent with usually came in weeks at a time – either she stayed with us or we stayed at her house. Christmases were spent at her house; Thanksgiving was there; and we always went to her church Day Camp every summer. We loved getting to stay at MaMa’s!!

I won’t lie and say she didn’t spoil us a little, but that’s what Grandma’s do, right?!

MaMa had cable tv, and we didn’t. She ALWAYS had Cokes in her pantry, and we rarely did. MaMa bought us the good cereal, not just what was on sale. Her freezer always had Bryers vanilla ice cream (you know, the kind with the black dots in it). Lunches at Day Camp always had Doritos and Gatorade in them. In addition to all that, MaMa is one of the best cooks in the world!! She didn’t believe in warming up food or a quick dinner. MaMa always cooks her meals from scratch.

MaMa always had a box of Kleenex (the kind with the lotion) in her car. She carried a bottle of cologne (from Avon, of course) that was shaped like a gun in her car “just in case”. On trips, she always brought a jar of dry roasted peanuts and a Coke as her snack. MaMa’s gum of choice was Juicy Fruit.

Of all the times that we went to MaMa’s, the best time to arrive was at Avon time!! MaMa would always let us help her sort and “sack up” her orders. We would even get to ride with her and deliver the orders to her customers. We thought that was so much fun!! (Side note - MaMa started selling Avon to pay for my mom to go to college. I’m pretty sure it has been around 40 years that she has been selling. That, my friends, is HARD CORE!!)

Most days of the week, I hate that I am shaped like my mom’s side of the family (no offense, Glyn, it isn’t your fault either!), but I must admit, I am thankful to have their genes. I sure hope that I age as gracefully as my grandmother and mother are. Neither of them look or act their age, and I’m hoping that carries on to me!

Happy Birthday, MaMa!! I love you!!