I found it!!

Ok, so I talked to Robin a couple of weeks ago about pictures from the last distribution process of Mema's Closet that we did... Unfortunately, we came to the conclusion that the pictures were lost... Great news! I found them!!!

A little background on the pictures, this particular year we decided (since we didn't have a great method of distribution) that we would set up at 2 locations to pass the coats out personally: Albany (Sherwood Baptist Church) and Sylvester. We put ads in the paper and HOPED that only people who really needed coats would take them. Here are a few pictures I recovered from the Albany location. By the way, Mama was at the Sylvester location and Destiny and I were at the Albany location. Rita and Bailey stopped by after Bailey's soccer game to help in Albany.

Special thanks...

Thank you to everyone who provided a special story about Mema or a special memory you had of her. They each were really moving. Please continue posting memories as you'd like, I will always enjoy hearing them. (If you've had trouble in the past posting comments, I believe I fixed the issue and it should be working find now.)

Jessica Giles Davis found some great pictures of her, Mema, Papa, and my mom at different times. I am so grateful that she shared them with me and I am happy to share them with you.


This one is of Mema, Jessica, and Mama (Lisa) one year at Halloween. (Apparently before we stopped celebrating that day!) :) Mema was a clown for Halloween in every picture I've ever seen of that time of year.


I love these 2 pictures. It really shows how caring Mema and Papa both are and how much they really love Jessica. This is a special moment that I am so happy we have pictures of! I wonder how many children Mema (& Papa) helped teach to ride a bicycle?!

Thanks Jess, for sharing these with us!

Blessed

No current updates on Mema's Closet, drop-offs, or new volunteers but...

This past week I was privileged to spend a week at the beach with my family (Brian, Lisa, Bethany, Brian Ray, and Justin.) The beach is definitely a place were I am often reminded of Mema. It was one of her favorite places to be; and we created lifelong memories of time spent with her, particularly at the beach.

I am not even sure how long ago it was, but awhile ago, we were on the "Women's Beach Trip" (which we use to take every year and all of the women on the Futrill's side usually go.) On this particular trip, me, Bethany, and Karen wanted to go para-sailing. (I don't even remember all of the details, so correct me if anyone knows differently.) Me, Bethany, and Karen were too little to ride alone, so Aunt Jean and Mema decided they would ride with us. I got to ride with Mema, and Aunt Jean rode with Bethany and Karen. While we were up in the air, Mema (who always was chewing gum) decided to spit her gum out just to see how long we could watch it until it disappeared. We had the best time.


This past week, memories of Mema flooded through my head (which happens often) and I was blessed by the memories we got to share with her. She was such an inspiration to be around and I miss her so much. It's times like those when I'm just sitting on the beach and I smile because of a great memory that I am reminded how blessed I am to have such a wonderful grandmother. And how grateful I am to be her grand-daughter.

While we were at the beach, Mama, Bethany, and me got to spend some time together just enjoying each others company and laughing together. In some of this time, we talked about Mema and memories we have of her. It's times like last weeks vacation that I am so grateful and value the time I can share with my mother and sister. (And family!) I've learned over the years that I can't take time or love for granted, time is a gift and the Lord doesn't promise us tomorrow.

If you have a minute, take a second and share a memory you have of Mema... I could write a billion posts of memories, but I would love to hear some of your favorite memories of her.