Hometown Famous

When I moved to Georgia, I had a part-time job because I was able to move some of my courses online, but I was also trying to find a job here. Within what felt like no time, I got one…and then another…and another…

At one point, I was juggling four part-time jobs…yes, FOUR…and I was adjusting to and getting to know my new city in the process.

Thankfully, I have been able to rearrange a few things this year (and got a promotion! Yay!), so I am now down to two jobs. I’m explaining this to say the last few years have been an amazing rollercoaster called life, and in the midst of it all, I stopped writing.

Well, I stopped blogging…I’m sorry I abandoned you.

I honestly didn’t think anyone noticed that I wasn’t blogging until March of this year, but it’s taken me some time to be able to write about March and ultimately say hello to you again.

In March, my grandmother passed away. She was 92 and my last living grandparent. We all called her “Ma.”

None of us saw it coming. She had been feeling a bit under the weather, but it was nothing too serious. A few days before she passed, my mom was visiting her, and I called to talk to them. My mom gave Ma the phone, and I spoke to her for a few minutes. I asked her how she was doing and told her I had been getting updates from Mom. I let her know that I was thinking about her, and she said she was feeling much better. After a few minutes, I told her that I loved and missed her, and she said the same to me as she handed my mom the phone. A few days later, Mom called early in the morning to say Ma passed in her sleep.

I went home to Arkansas for the services, and they were hard. I was with family, mingling with people I hadn’t seen in years, and meeting new faces, but Ma was gone. It was, however, so amazing to see that so many people love my grandparents. I believe the visitation count was something like 300+ people. The funeral home started running out of handouts.

In the middle of it all, I was talking with my cousin Jennifer, and she introduced me to a woman. As soon as the woman’s eyes met mine, she said, “Oh, you’re the one with the blog, the Possum Grape blog! I just love that. Why don’t you post anymore?”

In that moment, I smiled because I had not posted to my blog in something like three years, and I didn’t think anyone noticed, but suddenly I was recognized as the Possum Grape Peach. Of course, Jennifer made a comment about me being “hometown famous.” 😎 Honestly, I just liked that the woman lit up when she recognized me and that she enjoyed reading my posts.

After that, relatives started telling me that various people mentioned reading my blog. In fact, my dad recently walked into a local store and was talking to a man there. In the conversation, my name came up because my dad thought the man may know me from school. He did remember me from school, and he mentioned reading my blog.

So, I decided to log on to dust off the cobwebs, and that’s when I noticed that people had actually been visiting and leaving comments that I never received notifications for. People had even been referencing me on websites. Thanks! I’ve heard you, and I’m still here.

I guess at this point you may be wondering why I chose this day to post again. Well, it’s All Saints Sunday, the Sunday when we read the necrology in church to remember and honor those who have passed within the past year, and as our Senior Pastor said today, it’s also the day we remember that we are eternally connected to the generations that have come before us. In that, we also recognize that we are connected to one another.

Isn’t that an amazing thought? Yes, it may also feel heavy and hold a lot of responsibility, but we’re all in it together. We are forever connected to those previous generations and future ones, and we are connected to one another, whether we realize it or not.

Another comment from our pastor resonated with me today. She said, “You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can’t count the apples in a seed.” We don’t know what will come after us, and we may never realize how many people we touch within our lives, but everything we do plants a seed.

I can’t promise that I will post super regularly, but I definitely want to wake this beast of a blog back up because I am connected to you. I have heard you, and I am thankful that you are reading.

You can also connect with me on Instagram. Of course I’m @possumgrapepeach. I tend to post to Instagram or Facebook in the moment when I have the opportunity to be out and about.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Possum Grape Peach