family

happy birthday, mama helen!

today is my grandmother’s birthday.

and, this may sound kind of weird, but after a person passes away, their birthday, in my opinion, gets even better.  transcending presents and cake, the day takes on a deeper meaning, a sort of sacred quality… and only certain people know about it. it’s like a secret holiday!!

so every year, on this day, i celebrate my grandmother. sometimes i look at old pictures, or talk to my mom, or dress old dolls in costumes she sewed for me.

today, i decided to celebrate her– little, precious glimmers of her– on my blog.

* helen nelson was born in ponder, tx in 1918. i love the name of her birthplace… it’s like, she was destined to be special.

* she also went to college, which i think is pretty amazing– first to lee college in baytown, and then texas women’s university, where she majored in art. i’m lucky enough to have two of her paintings.

* mama helen worked for the USO and met my grandfather at a USO dance. i love to imagine them dancing together, so stylish and classy!

* when i was born, she gave me a cross-stitched sign that read, “if mother says no, ask grandmother” and hung it above my door. and she meant it.

* she was originally known to me as “mangaw,” my mangled attempt at “grandma.” later i changed her name to mama helen.

* every christmas, she decorated one of her fake indoor trees with ornaments she made using pictures of me. and that’s it. it was the sarah tree. and yes, i was the only grandchild (on both sides!).

* she had the most beautiful handwriting, full of curls and loops.

* she made GLORIOUS clothes for all my dolls out of glittery fabric and tons of sequins. mama helen really believed in sequins, so i have her to thank for my love of all things sparkly.

* her favorite movies were “the fugitive” and “the rainmaker,” and we watched them together about 20 times (at least!). she also loved “little women,” and i cherish the christmas day when three generations (me, my mom, my grandmother) went to the theater to see it together.

* when we first got our dog, biscuit, mama helen insisted that biscuit stay outside whenever we visited. then, slowly but surely, biscuit would start appearing in the house for short periods of time… and then, one day, i caught my grandmother sneaking bits of food to biscuit straight from the stove. after their secret friendship was exposed, mama helen and biscuit were inseparable.

* she collected bird figurines like nobody’s business.

* at her memorial service, i found out that mama helen had supported a friend’s daughter through college. she had never told anyone.

as you can see, she was amazing.

i was, and am, utterly blessed to have her as a grandmother, and today i celebrate her and the impact she made on my life.

happy birthday, mama helen. i love you!

mama helen and my mother

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