Family come and gone Part 1

Talking about my family in Monroe County made me want to post about one of the special people from there that I miss very much. When my mom and I would go for a visit we would most often be found at my aunt Della's house. Della was the first of the thirteen children belonging to my grandparents. My mother was number twelve and Della was just two weeks shy of her 24th birthday when my mother was born. When my grandfather died my mother, who was six years old at the time, went to live with Della and her family. So Della and Kinley (her husband) were more like parents to my mother and hence more like grandparents to me. I remember spending time with her. She was always welcoming to anyone who came to her house. She surrounded herself with family and pictures of her loved ones. I can still in my mind see her living room. All walls were covered with many picture frames that held these precious pictures. When Della welcomed you into her home you were always offered food. She was a wonderful cook (especially at breakfast time). She would keep macaroni and cheese (one of my favorites) in her kitchen just in case we came. She even let me help her cook a few times, which I later found out she never did when my mom was growing up. Though they had little money she was constantly giving a few dollars here and there to me when we would visit. She was very brave and strong after finding she had cancer. She fought it and tried to still do everything she had done in the previous years. During her battle with cancer I watched her weaken so much as to be unable to lift one of her iron skillets with which to cook. She was always upbeat and her faith kept her going. Even when her cancer returned with a vengeance years later, her faith was a wonderful testament to those around her. Although my eldest son does not remember her, I am happy that she was able to see both of my boys before she went home to be with the Lord.