Wilna Mae

Wilna Mae Poteete. I called her Nana. She was my maternal grandmother, born in 1909. She was so much to me - and I only knew her for 16 years. Many kids have special relationships with their grandparents and mine was with her. There is so much about her that I cannot even explain - she was that proverbial wise old owl that sometimes said nothing but said EVERYTHING at the same time. She was literally the only grandparent I knew, as the rest either passed away before I was born or were not in our lives. Nana was a Taurus like me, and I was as bull headed as she was. She lived in Athens, Alabama where we went to visit every June/July until she as gone. 'Willie', as my dad called her, loved to watch football with him and I know he misses, because none of us like to sit and watch sports like he does. But Nana did and they were like two peas in a pod. She could tell a 'box' cake from one made from scratch almost by sniffing it and heaven forbid eat the entire piece, she couldn't do it. She was from the generation of having not, but feeling blessed that she had everything she needed. Her generation cooked from scratch, from recipes passed down from generations gone and everything we ate was delicious, and made with the most important ingredient - LOVE. She could cook - man could she cook. Her chicken and dumplings were to die for and so were her home made caramel cakes. Nana was a sturdy woman who would alternate sweet bites (cookies/cake) with savory bites (tomatoes) until she was satisfied. Nana was cantankerous and cranky. She called 'em like she saw 'em and didn't pussy foot around the subject. She passed this trait on to my mother, who likewise passed it on to me. I take delight in calling my mom Wilna when she gets cranky. We all are like our mothers in some ways - but cranky is not one we want to own. Nana literally was my idol - she taught me how to live within your means (I still struggle with this), how to stay a kid when the responsibilities of life wear you down, how to love like you have nothing to lose, how to dance like no one was watching. Most of all, she taught me how to love unconditionally, and how to make the best of a bad situation and that forgiveness sets you free. One of my fondest memories was how Nana would take us cruising to the DQ in Athens in her baby blue Ford Falcon - we'd be all screaming and hanging out the windows. This was back before seat belts were mandatory and the steering wheels on cars were the size of a helm on a pirate ship. She lived out loud when she was with her grandkids! She would swim and tube with us on the Elk River in the summer. I still miss her to this day and at times have dreams with her in it - she is always guiding me in some way, even at 52 years old.