A Tribute to My Mother
We were asked what Mom did; what she liked to do. In other words, who is Margaret Sandlin Haines? Each one thought for a moment, and in one voice answered, “Nanny! She’s Nanny.”
Well, what exactly do we mean?
Nurturing,
Always There When We Needed Her,
Never Angry,
Never Complaining,
Young at Heart.
Waking from surgery with IV’s, needles, and a diagnosis that would make many cry in fear, she smiled and nodded as if to say, “It’s okay; I am not afraid.”
Worried about us, she clung to life because we needed her. Only when we told her that we were at peace, and that she could rest, did she close her eyes to rest eternally in Heaven.
To be her daughter is a privilege; to be able to take care of her in her final hours was an honor and a spiritual journey that brought me to know Jesus, and to know that when my time comes, I will walk in Heaven – hand in hand – with my Mother, as Jesus leads the way.
One of my favorite memories of Nanny was how secretive she kept her recipes! She would NEVER leak ANYTHING about her Lasagna or her Cheese Potatoes! LOL She was so funny like that! But she made the best of both, in the whole world! Another funny memory I have of her was before Kris and I left to go to Georgia for our Wedding and Paw-Paw gave us a check for one amount. Then, Nanny walked us out to our car and slipped us another check for the same amount! Too funny! She never wanted money for herself. She always gave it to her Children or Grandchildren. She always looked after everyone and made sure that they had everything that they needed!
I also remember Christmas this past year. We had no clue what to get her and Paw-Paw. Of course, we didn't have alot of money, but we got them this shiny green bucket with white fur around the top of it, and then inside, were 3 Yankee Candles. I will never forget this, especially cause I have pictures of it, but she was pulling the bucket out of the gift bag and she first held it up to her face, reading it, then she sniffed the candles, then just happened to look over at me, and she smiled really big! That is the best picture I have of her. And I am so grateful that I got that shot. After receiving that, she set that right up on the mantle above the fireplace and it has been there ever since. I would like to get that back and put it on my Mantle, because I have the picture for the story and would like the actual story to be alive in our home. I miss her so much already. Going over to the house isn't the same and never will be again. It's hard to believe that she is really gone. When I'm there, I still look around as if she is going to come walking around the corner. But we have to remember that someone is still there. Someone that needs our support and help more than anyone else at this moment. Nanny's Soulmate for 61 years... Paw-Paw. He is so lost right now, I don't think anyone can grasp what he is going through right now. We have to remember that he is our top priority right now. Nanny would want us to be there for him and make sure he can survive this loss. If he has no one to help him, he has no hope. I know that Nanny is looking down on her family and is so proud to see everyone coming together like a family should. She will never be forgotten.
