The kitchen was her kingdom

This morning we got the call. You know the one, you've kind of been expecting it, but it is sad nonetheless. David's grandmother passed away early this morning at the age of 94.While I was cleaning up the kitchen I got out my apron and spent that time thinking of Grandma Fillmore.

You see, a few years back, David's mom brought me a gift. Grandma Fillmore had moved into an assisted living facility and they had sold her home and cleared out her belongings. Pam had brought me Grandma's apron. The one she wore while she cooked and cleaned. The one that had been made by hand and mended over and over through the years. Pam knows that I have a love for all things old and interesting and she knew that I would appreciate this. Every time I put it on I think of her.

I have only known Grandma Fillmore for the past 9 years, but we had many opportunities to go and visit with her. Sometimes, on th earlier visits she would cook for us. She was a very petite woman, maybe only 85 pounds and not always sure on her feet. She reminded me of a bird when she would hop around her kitchen always looking for a chair or countertop to steady herself on. She loved to cook and Denny told me that she always invited people over for dinner. He said the kitchen was her kingdom. I like that. Like many of us, she used food to care for others.

Maybe some of the reasons I really loved David's grandma is that she was feisty, she told it like it was, she had lived a difficult and interesting life and didn't wallow in it. But what really won me over was that she told David that he had made quite a catch when he married me. She always said to him, "Hang on to that one. She's a keeper." Who couldn't love a woman like that?

So whenever I put on her apron, I'll remember Ethel Robbins Fillmore. And I'll be happy.