In my first book, Life and Love Continue, I wrote a section about my Grandmother who was called Nanama and how she would stand at the kitchen sink and prepare food for canning. When she finished, her jars of fruit or vegetables they looked so beautiful. Well, yesterday, I canned seven pints of applesauce, Safeway had apples on sale and I figured since we had quite a bit of pork in the freezer to cook and in my household, pork has to have applesauce with it, I would make some.

As I was standing at the sink peeling apples, I thought of my Nanama standing at her kitchen sink getting all of the fruit and vegetables ready to fill her quart jars and remembered the love and care she took with each jar. She was not a well lady, but she gave her time, energy and love to her desire to feed her family the best that she could provide.

Yesterday, I canned only seven pints of applesauce. My Nanama would can seventy-five quarts of fruit at a time. And when she started doing this, she only had a wood stove. How times have changed, but never the love that goes into those jars. Yesterday, I felt the same love pour into my seven pints as she put into her seventy-five.

My Nanama was a great lady. Her only job was to be the best homemaker, wife, mother and grandmother that she could be. She succeeded in all of those. When I am working to cook a meal or prepare food to feed my family, I remember her and the times we spent together with the love and total respect that she deserves.