Little things sitting around
Call to mind fond memories
Of those held dear.
An old picture from years gone by
Prompts thoughts from my childhood
Of my beloved Nana.

Living next door to her, there were
Many cherished moments spent with her.
Her sweetness still remembered
From a kind woman who always said,
If you have nothing nice to say
Say nothing at all.

Tea and raisin cookies
Do they even make them anymore?
Sitting in her kitchen sipping from a saucer.
With added milk and sugar
A sweet treat to enjoy
As we talked about our days.

Or after dinner each night
My brother and I running next door
Screaming, “I scream, you scream,
we all scream for ice cream.”
Vanilla it was every time,
Topped with chocolate sauce, of course.

Many years later, I happened
to take a friend to meet her,
How amazed I was to suddenly hear
this tiny woman discussing the stock market
Flashing back because to me
baby talk was her way.

At that moment, I saw her in a new way
She outlived her parents and siblings all
Two husbands, and both her children, as well.
With her kindness and deep love
This sweet woman held fast to a strength
That sustained her for almost one hundred years.