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My Grandparents
Randy Mascagni, CFP
I grew up in Natchez in a small family, and at
nine years old, became the only child. There were
a lot of dynamics going on in my home–but then
there were my grandparents. If you lived in Natchez
and were familiar with the Morgantown community,
you would have known my grandparents. They
lived about five miles away from our home, and
every afternoon, after school, my mom and I would
go to their house.
My grandfather operated a little barbershop
right next to their home. Men would come to enjoy
a Coke and nabs, tell their stories, and get a haircut.
Oh yes, his shop had the typical “ole” 10-cent Coke
machine (small bottles), a Tom’s nabs machine
(yes Tom’s peanuts and nabs), and a vintage penny
fortune scale.
By the age of eight or nine, one of my favorite
pastimes was playing with that old vintage floor scale. My
grandfather would give me the key, and I would open the scale’s
coin box to see how many pennies were there along with
an occasional “buffalo” nickel. After a while, my grandfather
told me that if I took care of the scale, I could have the coins.
I experienced the thrill of my first job. I took special care
of that scale, a relic in today’s world, carefully
wrapping the coins and eventually depositing
them in the bank.
In the same frame of that memory is
my grandmother’s chifforobe that housed
her prized collection of silver dollars.
I was intrigued by all my grandmother’s
stuff, particularly her coins.
In fact, she said I was a meddler, as I periodically went
through her stuff, particularly her white City Bank bags of coins.
She let me count and play with her silver dollars. I also was
intrigued with her dollar bills that were kept in envelopes with
names like “groceries” or “light bill’ and “gas.” Only years later
did I understand those envelopes.
There was a time when I thought it wasn’t normal to go to my
grandparents’ every afternoon. But reflecting, God knew I needed
those long hours to soak up many lessons. You see that time with
my grandparents brought a sense of normalcy to my life and was
the seedbed for good values. They loved me deeply. In fact, if
you had known my grandmother, you would have known I was
her “pride and joy.” I quietly watched them live their lives, run
a small business, raise chickens, have a garden, raise a couple of
cows, pick up and sell pecans, go to church where my grandfather
taught Sunday school, and yes, drop their tithe envelope in the
collection plate. In fact, they, and my mom, were charter members
of Morgantown Baptist. They loved their church.
No, this article isn’t about the top ten financial planning
strategies. It’s actually about the foundation of sound money
management, which is the value of hard work, saving and planning
for future needs, and the provision of our great God to meet our
personal needs even through time at a grandparent’s house.
Oh, the joy I would have spending one more afternoon
of meddling at Nannie and Roe-Roe’s. And yes, I still
have her big bag of old silver dollars!
601-925-8099
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Hometown RANKIN • 29