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For 26 years Lela Bell McDill,
my Mawmaw, was the light of my life.
Growing up, my sisters and I were blessed
to live right next door from Mawmaw and
Pawpaw; it wasn’t uncommon for us to come
to and from their house five or six times a
day. Because of that, my grandparents were
more than grandparents to me. They were,
in a lot of ways, just an extension of us. We
were connected to them in a way that many
won’t ever understand.
When I was given the opportunity to
write this article in memory of Mawmaw,
I thought how in the world am I going to
sum up 26 years of camaraderie, love,
instruction, cooking lessons, funny talks,
and hugs? In August of 2015, Mawmaw
suffered a massive stroke to two thirds of
her brain. This stroke caused the left side of
her body to lose movement and should’ve
taken her life; however, God was gracious to
give us two and a half more years with her
before she was freed from her bed at home
and able to run into the arms of Jesus on
January 30, 2017.
On September 6, 2016, I began a series
of interviews with Mawmaw that I treasure
now with all my heart. It was a time for me
to ask her questions and write the lessons
(although they were already engrained in
my head) down on paper so that they could
be passed on. Although the interviews were
broken up into several periods and over the
course of multiple days, her answers serve as
a model for how we should all live our lives.
While I have over sixty questions and
her answers, I wanted to share a few of my
favorites below. If she were here, Mawmaw
would be so tickled.
Hometown Clinton • 55