On April 28, 1933, Melvin Thomas Gay was born. He lived with his large family in rural Alabama and often walked to school in the snow uphill both ways (kidding!). But seriously… At twenty years old, he married seventeen-year-old Billie Joan Farley. These two love birds grew up to be my Papa and Grandmother.
On Sunday, I was fortunate enough to spend the day with them. If you haven’t spent the day with your grandparents in a while, please make the time to do so. You won’t be sorry. Allen and I drove up to their farm where I have been so many times before. For Christmas, for Easter, for any reason other than “whatever”. This time was different. We went simply to go. And to make peanut butter cookies — my one request. We ate lunch at a set table on beautiful dinnerware and just chatted. We heard childhood stories of how Papa’s family lived off the land and how Grandmother’s family grew up in a coal-mining town in Kentucky. How they married at the Friendship Baptist Church just up the road, how Grandmother wore a blue tea-length dress her mother made, and how they have been married for 56(!) years this May. We had beautiful conversation, and I tried to soak in as much as I could.
After lunch, I made Grandmother’s famous peanut butter cookie recipe and took lessons from her on how much to scoop per cookie and how to make them so perfectly round. You could definitely tell which were hers and which were mine! Later in the afternoon, Allen worked with Papa to catch an elusive 16-pound catfish in the pond, and Grandmother and I sat on the porch and chatted. It was the most relaxing Sunday afternoon we’ve had in a long while.
Today I want to wish my Papa a very Happy 76th Birthday. He and Grandmother were such gracious hosts to us, and I hope we have the pleasure to do it again soon. Here is a quick picture I caught of them as we were headed out the door. I just love them to pieces.
by Amanda
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