with love from grandma

My grandma is a wonderful lady. The last time that we went to visit her we were welcomed with this:

If you look at this picture and don't know what it is, then you don't have a southern grandma. If this picture makes you happy then you know the goodness that is a southern meal cooked by grandma. Those pots in the background aren't leftover from the cooking, they are still full of the cooking. This kind of spread may not be the healthiest meal you'll ever eat, but it feeds more than your belly. It feeds your soul. There's more than food here. There's love. A southern grandma doesn't stop at one side dish, she makes sure everyone has a favorite on the menu. She cooks and thinks of you the whole time. And oh, is it good. (Mmm, I think I'm getting hungry.)
Today my mom arrived for a visit. And of course she arrived with gifts for all. For me there was this:

My fellow crafty artists are excited by the sight of this picture and maybe a little jealous. It's ok to be jealous; you should be. It's an entire shoebox full of vintage patterns. And guess what. It came with a vintage Singer sewing machine. I'll show you it later. It has to go to the sewing doctor immediately because it has been a little neglected. (I think I can hear it crying.)
My mom also came with a little care package from my Grandma. When I opened it up I laughed out loud. It's an old sewing box filled with random goodness. And I would like to really highlight the word random here.

It only got better as I dug deeper. It was full of sewing notions, embroidery hoops and patterns, mints, cash, all kinds of stuff. It was great. So, thanks grandma.

Remember that family ache I was talking about the other day. Do you understand now why I have it? How can you not ache for people who take such good care of you? We all need to be taken care of sometimes. We all need to be loved, in whatever form that takes. My mother in law sent me a message a while back just letting me know that she was sending a little gift. She said that when she was younger she used to go home with vegetables from her grandma's garden. Her grandma nourished her, took care of her. Now she wanted to do that for her grandchildren. It may have taken a different form, but it was nourishment just the same. We all need to be taken care of. And caregivers are a beautiful thing. I am incredibly blessed to be surrounded by them.