Corine Kitchens Webb- A Tribute to my Granny

My grandmother, Corine Webb, was born April 10, 1915. Today, in honor of her birthday, I'd like to share a little about her. When I see old photos like the ones below (thank you to my wonderful cousin Reagan for sharing them with me!), I always wonder what the world would have looked like through her eyes. My grandmother didn't get to finish elementary school, which was common in the rural South, where children were expected to help out on the farms to provide for the families. I can't find one photo of her as a child, so the below one is the earliest one I have of her. My mother (little girl in the photo) was born in 1935, so I'm guessing this photo was taken in the early 1940s.

My Granny was five years old when women were given the right to vote. She lived in the deep South during the Civil Rights Movement and had so many stories to share about equality struggles in Georgia. But, she wasn't one to dwell on the shortcomings of our world. She could find the silver lining in about any situation. What I remember most about my Granny though, was how much she laughed. She could make me giggle at the slightest thing. How I miss the sound of her voice!

My grandmother had three children, and this photo show her and my uncles, Donald and Ronald, in a rare, casual moment. I love this photos because it's a glimpse into the world in which she lived in the South. I often wonder what she would think of this world in which I live...computers, planes, cell phones, texting, twitter, facebook...instant everything. I often yearn for the days of sitting on her porch, in my favorite glider chair, breaking beans from the garden, and listening to the sound of my grandparents talking.

This is a photo of my grandparents in 1960. I adore the cat-eye glasses! Although my grandparents didn't have a lot of disposable income, Granny was a great seamstress and made a lot of her own clothes. My grandmother loved to dress up, and it's really hard to find any photos of her in her everyday wear. But, I adored that about her. Granny had red hair, and her favorite color was red. Her clothing was bright and vibrant, just like her personality.

This is one of her, my brother Tim (on the left), my sister Melanie (on her lap). I do know this about my grandmother, she LOVED to spend time with her grandchildren. From the time I was born, until when my mother passed away when I was 15, I spent nearly every Sunday and most summer days with her. We spent days staying at her house where she would take us to our uncles farms, teach us how to cook (I still have a treasured cookie recipe from her!) and take us on countless trips to "trade day" (which was really a big farmers market, antique/junk sale). I can still remember the beautiful tin on her ceilings, the hum of the window air conditioning unit and the squeak of the old wooden floors of their house. I will forever be thankful for the time she would spend with us.

Happy birthday Granny. Your spirit is missed, your lessons remembered, and your love remains with all of us.