Reach 'n Grab, Children
"Reach 'n grab, children. Reach 'n grab. Make yourself at home."
Zellie Isaac would always say that with a smile while she was putting food on the table. She was happy to feed us. And feed us she did! Southern cooking at its best, for sure.
A typical meal would include pork chops, green beens, fried potatoes, corn, corn bread or maybe bisquits and fried apples. I'm telling you, I don't care what part of the world you come from. You could not sit still and eat that stuff. It was incredible. Zellie was a great cook and she loved to feed family and friends.
And Zellie was a great friend.
Who is Zellie? Zellie is my wife's 2nd or 3rd cousin or something like that. I'm not sure really. But to me she was like an aunt.
I was barely 22 years old when I moved to Kentucky. I was amazed at how close my new wife was to all her family. I would joke that she knew her 6th cousins better than I knew some of my 1st cousins.
And it's true. I have 1st cousins who still live within 20 miles of where I grew up and I can't tell you anything about them other than their name and how they are related to me. I know some better than others. But there's only a very few that I know well enough to know their spouses or children.
Things are different here, though. We would travel 40 or 50 miles to visit with Zellie and her children, Ray and Tiny, and their families. It was always fun. I'll never forget it. It has become a part of me. I look back on those days like I look back on my childhood. It was part of my growing up.
I was a young adult and already married when I met Zellie, her husband, Ed, and their children. But they were an important part of a life change that took place in me - a growing up. They were part of what made me come to realize just how important family is. You're grounded and settled when you belong to a family. You're somehow safe.
Zellie died yesterday morning. She will be sorely missed. But she will never be forgotten.
God bless you, Zellie, and your whole family!
Zellie Isaac would always say that with a smile while she was putting food on the table. She was happy to feed us. And feed us she did! Southern cooking at its best, for sure.
A typical meal would include pork chops, green beens, fried potatoes, corn, corn bread or maybe bisquits and fried apples. I'm telling you, I don't care what part of the world you come from. You could not sit still and eat that stuff. It was incredible. Zellie was a great cook and she loved to feed family and friends.
And Zellie was a great friend.
Who is Zellie? Zellie is my wife's 2nd or 3rd cousin or something like that. I'm not sure really. But to me she was like an aunt.
I was barely 22 years old when I moved to Kentucky. I was amazed at how close my new wife was to all her family. I would joke that she knew her 6th cousins better than I knew some of my 1st cousins.
And it's true. I have 1st cousins who still live within 20 miles of where I grew up and I can't tell you anything about them other than their name and how they are related to me. I know some better than others. But there's only a very few that I know well enough to know their spouses or children.
Things are different here, though. We would travel 40 or 50 miles to visit with Zellie and her children, Ray and Tiny, and their families. It was always fun. I'll never forget it. It has become a part of me. I look back on those days like I look back on my childhood. It was part of my growing up.
I was a young adult and already married when I met Zellie, her husband, Ed, and their children. But they were an important part of a life change that took place in me - a growing up. They were part of what made me come to realize just how important family is. You're grounded and settled when you belong to a family. You're somehow safe.
Zellie died yesterday morning. She will be sorely missed. But she will never be forgotten.
God bless you, Zellie, and your whole family!
posted by Greg at 3:31 PM
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