Mimi

My dad's mother, more affectionately known as Mimi, is a spunky, attention-loving, warm-hearted, Jesus-loving, and all around wonderful 88 year old woman. She has never met a stranger, almost always has on her bright red lipstick, and often falls asleep sitting up. In our family, I am often referred to as Mimi Jr., which is quite a compliment! I think I got that nickname for our shared tendency to remember nearly pointless details--like what we were wearing to a certain event, what we ate that day, or even what the weather was like. There is rarely a conversation that I have had with Mimi when she hasn't brought up Jesus. What a great trait to be remembered by!!

Evidence of her tendency to snooze...she would not be happy with me for putting up a picture of her so "undone"!!

Me and Mimi, Christmas 2008

Mimi lives in an assisted living apartment complex in Mississippi, close to my dad's younger sister and tries to keep herself busy between the beauty parlor, as she calls it, Bingo, and spending time with her great-granddaughter, Kaitlin. She has an "email machine", no, not computer, that she uses to send and receive emails, mostly from family members. Although I enjoy sending her an email on a weekly basis, I've found it somewhat repetitive. I only say that it is repetitive because if I talk to her on the phone that week, she usually will ask the same questions or tell me the same stories that she mentions in her emails! Not that I mind, but it's hard to interrupt a hard-of-hearing grandmother to tell her you've heard this story once, or ten times, before.

Mimi and our family, Christmas 2006

The "Mardis girls" are we are often referred to on my dad's side of the family, Christmas 2007

I was on the phone with Mimi last night as I was driving back from my usual Thursday night dinner at the Harwood's--I gave her the usual run down of the week, reported the latest updates on my life, and asked her questions about her goings-on. Nothing out of the norm.

Then she starts to tell me how much she has treasures the Christmas gift that my family gave her. My parents gave her the Bible on a set of CD's and Katie, Lee, Kirby, Daniel, and I gave her a CD player with large enough buttons for her to see. Mimi tells me that she's been listening to the whole New Testament and is about to start 2nd Corinthians--She says she'll listen up to two hours a day! What absolutely amazes me is that she has probably already read through the New Testament well over 100 times!! And no matter what, she values each and every verse that she hears as though she is hearing it all for the first time. She can quote more scripture that anyone else that I know and she often uses it to encourage me with whatever I'm facing in life.

Just as I was starting to get antsy, (it was turning into a 40+ minute phone call at this point and I was sitting in my car waiting to go inside) she asks if she can pray for me. She begins with the Lord's Prayer and speaks to God just as if He is sitting on the phone with us. Mimi prays for my heart, that it continues to grow in His love, and that He uses my gifts to glorify Him. She goes on to say several other wonderfully sweet prayers that I cannot even remember because right about then was when I started getting choked up....much like I am right now....What a treasure from Heaven to have a grandmother that lays a solid foundation in Christ and His love. I know that she is getting older, but I can't help but see her youthful heart every time she lights up to tell a story about her Savior and how He has blessed the generations of her family that are following in her footsteps. I love my Mimi more than words can do justice and hope that I can grow into half the woman that she is.

All of the Mardis Cousins, May 2009

Mimi and Mimi Jr., Christmas 2006