Photo By: Sonya Carr
Eternal Legacy
Written By: Emmanuella Williams
It was Mother's Day 2006 and I was headed to Cincinnati with my new boyfriend - Marcus (now husband) to have lunch with his mom and meet the rest of his family for the first time. After spending time with his mom, the plan would be to meet his Dad's side of the family at Red Lobster for the traditional Mother's Day brunch. We had already eaten, so we weren't bothered to just sit and chat with everyone while they counted down the 1 hour wait. Immediately, Marcus started to introduce me to everyone. A gorgeous older woman said, "Hi T , how is your family?" Mortified, Marcus quickly corrected her and said, "Grandma... this is not "T", her name is Emmanuella." AWKWARD. Without skipping a beat, she responded... "Shoot, Y'all keep bringing all of these girls around, how do you expect me to keep them all straight"... and that ladies and gentlemen was my introduction to Grandma Leeada.
Despite the uncomfortable introduction, she quickly invited me to come have a seat right next to her and proceeded to talk to me for the next hour straight. She told me a million unfiltered stories about Marcus, everything from his favorite foods to how proud she was of him. Grandma Leeada instantly became my favorite Williams. As I left, she hugged and kissed me as if I belonged and was already family...this never changed.
Grandma Leeada had a way of making everyone feel as though they belonged in the family. Whether you were "just passing through" or "till death do us part", you had the same rights and benefits as everyone else in the family. When she spoke to you, she always made you feel like the most important person in the room. Even though she wasn't feeling the best when I saw her last Saturday, she smiled and told me... "You are my sweet beautiful girl." Her words always mattered to me but they matter even more now as this would be the last thing that she would ever say to me. Early Thursday morning, we lost our Queen but gained an Angel.
My birthday is on Christmas Day, and sometimes it goes unnoticed with the rush of the holidays; especially now that we have kids. Every year, regardless of the fact that I had married into the family, she would double my gift and write both Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday in my card. Since we didn't go to Cincinnati for the Holidays this past Christmas, I received and opened her card during our most recent visit. Of course... still the same..she remembered my birthday day. What sticks with me is that, Grandma Leeada didn't just "speak" life into people she freely gave of herself and even in the smallest way she did everything to make you also feel that she cared. She was always happy, dressed to kill, and always welcomed everyone with a sweet..."Hey Darling". Just thinking of how much she has impacted me made me think so hard about my life. The one question that has been swimming in my mind that I just can't shake is the question that I will ask you...Will the legacy I (you) leave be eternal? No material thing lasts forever but the one thing that we can leave behind that is eternal is Love. I am blessed to have learned that from such an amazing women...Thank You Grandma Leeada.
Despite the uncomfortable introduction, she quickly invited me to come have a seat right next to her and proceeded to talk to me for the next hour straight. She told me a million unfiltered stories about Marcus, everything from his favorite foods to how proud she was of him. Grandma Leeada instantly became my favorite Williams. As I left, she hugged and kissed me as if I belonged and was already family...this never changed.
Grandma Leeada had a way of making everyone feel as though they belonged in the family. Whether you were "just passing through" or "till death do us part", you had the same rights and benefits as everyone else in the family. When she spoke to you, she always made you feel like the most important person in the room. Even though she wasn't feeling the best when I saw her last Saturday, she smiled and told me... "You are my sweet beautiful girl." Her words always mattered to me but they matter even more now as this would be the last thing that she would ever say to me. Early Thursday morning, we lost our Queen but gained an Angel.
My birthday is on Christmas Day, and sometimes it goes unnoticed with the rush of the holidays; especially now that we have kids. Every year, regardless of the fact that I had married into the family, she would double my gift and write both Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday in my card. Since we didn't go to Cincinnati for the Holidays this past Christmas, I received and opened her card during our most recent visit. Of course... still the same..she remembered my birthday day. What sticks with me is that, Grandma Leeada didn't just "speak" life into people she freely gave of herself and even in the smallest way she did everything to make you also feel that she cared. She was always happy, dressed to kill, and always welcomed everyone with a sweet..."Hey Darling". Just thinking of how much she has impacted me made me think so hard about my life. The one question that has been swimming in my mind that I just can't shake is the question that I will ask you...Will the legacy I (you) leave be eternal? No material thing lasts forever but the one thing that we can leave behind that is eternal is Love. I am blessed to have learned that from such an amazing women...Thank You Grandma Leeada.