My writings about her:
I was blessed to spend a lot of time with my Granny during my growing-up years.
So many things remind me of her…the smell of Hershey chocolate, working crossword puzzles, chicken and dressing, small cans of gray spray paint (like the ones she carried in her car glove compartment for quick dent touchups when she bumped into something), back scratches, reading Edgar Allen Poe, the gold locket necklace I gave her when I was a child (that I wear around my own neck often as an adult), Elvis, playing cards, and pork rinds. Phoebe Brown was truly an inspiring person. She lived a simply pure and wonderful life. She was just good and had no hidden agendas. She read literature and God's Word daily, prayed daily, enjoyed words, told silly jokes (too sharp to get the punchline wrong), loved people, laughed easily (usually at herself), and watched "Murder She Wrote" and "Jeopardy" (she knew all the answers). I admired how she always made a point to exercise her mind…she played solitaire at the dining room table (and cheated by turning over cards she wasn't supposed to), and made lists of guests in attendance and then counted up the total the day after any event. One such event was her famous annual Christmas parade party, where she always had sausage balls and an apple with olives on toothpicks stuck in it. She also kept a journal to document the day's events and her thoughts and prayers. Though she made these efforts to care for her mind, she didn't have quite the same concern for her teeth. She took a chocolate bar to bed most nights. She was funny in the best possible way and was always pleasant to spend time with. You would never know that, like anyone else, her life had seen its share of disappointments and even tragedies. She had a knack for forgetting negativity and letting her heart dwell only in a good place. Her life and death are the perfect example for me personally, of how I hope to live and die…at peace, pure, full of joy and calm, Christlike, united with others, placing my love for other people above everything else, and leaving only smiles on loved ones's faces. I will be forever thankful for my relationship with Phoebe Brown, her beautiful presence, and the stamp she left on my life.
You probably noticed a lot of commas in my tribute to my granny. That is because Phoebe Mohundro Brown inspires creativity. She was multi-faceted, like a splendid diamond.
She had a brilliant mind. She would give me back scratches…but she would also write letters on my back with her fingernails. Her letters were not only soothing, they were enriching to the mind. She might have started one of those letters out like this: "Dear, Andrew Lloyd Webber,…"
Words seem to be a common theme in remembering my precious grandmother. In my adulthood, I've been saddened to learn and experience that some people never learn the power of their own words and the damage that negative ones can do. This is definitely a lesson I've learned the hard way myself…but I feel like I do have a grasp on it at this point. I found a card that Granny gave me for Valentine's day when I was in middle school (the most awkward phase of my life). The following is a direct quote from Phoebe Brown and a complete study in building another person up with positive words:
"What can I wish for you on Valentine's Day? You are already rich in the things that really count: a loving heart, a sunny outlook, talent, contentment, friendship, spirituality and laughter. The only wish I can make is that some of the joy you bring to our family will return to you and warm your heart as you warm ours. You make every day I'm with you brighter with your special brand of sunshine. Stay as sweet as you are! Love, Granny"
I simply pray that my life can continue to be influenced for the better by her.
-Lauren Brown McElwain
