Cleatice and Earl lived a quarter of a mile down the road from our family. They were our closest neighbors. They lived in a very small farm house with both of their mothers. Cleatice took care of her mother and Earl's mother at the same time. Earl's mother suffered from dementia and Cleatice's mother was extremely frail.
Cleatice and Earl also had 2 children, Betty Ruth and Pete. Betty Ruth lived in the area and Pete lived in Illinois working for the Illinois Bureau of Investigation as an undercover drug investigator. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Both of my grandmothers died before I was born so Cleatice was like my grandmother. She took care of me when mom needed time off or had errands to run. I spent nights at her house even while she cared for her own "moms". She seemed to have endless energy and time for me which always made my moments with her so special.
You could usually find Cleatice knitting away on some project. It might be a stocking cap, an afghan, or sweater. Her projects were like treasures to those who were lucky enough to get them. I still have two sweaters that she knit for me.
Cleatice had a great deal of patience and was an incredible teacher. She taught me to knit before I even started school. She helped me sound out the words Knit and Purl (which are basic stitches used in knitting)in order that I might know which stitch I needed to use. Dropped stitches, happened often with my four year old fingers. But that never bothered her. She easily remedied any of my mistakes. If I had a super big mistake we would rip out the stitching in order to fix the problem. Mistakes seemed easy and were no big deal.
If you walked up to Cleatice's front porch around meal time, you would smell the most incredible aromas coming from her kitchen. Her kitchen wasn't any bigger than my laundry room with even less counter top space and storage. But the feasts she produced were amazing. Her fried chicken was to die for and there was a never ending supply of sweet tea...sweet...cold...wonderful...tea. She always used the same brown pottery tea pitcher. (If you find me wandering the aisles of antique stores, you know that one of the treasures I am hunting is for a pitcher like Cleatice's) She boiled her loose tea then strained it into the pitcher, added sugar and water. Better than McAlisters. Cleatice also taught me how to fry cracklings when frying chicken. To this day I can't fry chicken without the cracklings.
Our little country church often had carry in dinners. Some of the best cooks in the community brought food to those dinners, but none could pass up Cleatice's creations. Whether it was hearty cookin' or something sweet it was the best around.
Afternoons at Cleatices were saved for resting, reading or knitting. When someone knocked at the door, she always hollered "Come In", before she had any idea who it was. She never worried about strangers. Everyone was always welcome.
While I was still very young tragedy struck Cleatice and Earl. Pete, their son was murdered in a drug investigation gone bad. It was all over the news. The tragic loss of Pete's life left a widow and 2 young children. I remember the sadness and grief that fell over the community as we gathered around Cleatice and Earl. For months the TV stations would have clips about the murder and investigation. I watched Cleatice. I never saw anger, even though I am sure she felt it. She just became quiet in her grief.
With time, her singing and cooking returned as she worked through the grief. She was still loving those around her, caring for her family...and a little girl who thought of her as grandma. She and Earl took the place of honor as my Grandparents at our wedding. An acquittance asked her if we were related. Cleatice responded, "No, Cathy just doesn't know any different. To her I am Grandma."
God is so gracious. He saw to it that a woman down the road would love me as I was. She had time for me and always encouraged me...especially in my music. I began singing in church at the age of 4 and playing piano by 6. Never once did she point out my mistakes. (Remember mistakes were easy to remedy) She always supported me and blessed me with her words of endearment and love. She lived out the apostle John's word found in 2 John verse 6, "...As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love."
Cleatice is gone now. She went home to be with the Lord a few years ago. Her legacy of love still lingers in me. I will never forget her. I will always be thankful for her and the way she showered me with Christ's love. Cleatice readily shared Christ's love with others. I am one of those touched by God through Cleatice. For that I will always be thankful.
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