A Special “MOM”
I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about how wonderful my grandmother, Christine “Teeny” Saine was to my family and me. I should probably clear up any confusion now: all the grandkids called her something different. My sister and I called her “Mom,” Kenny’s children called her “Mimi,” and Dena called her Momaw. She was a woman loved by so many people; in the past two days alone we have already started to see how many lives she affected and how much people cared for her.
Growing up, I was extremely fortunate to live just five minutes away from Mom and Pop, so I spent a lot of time at their house. I was the first grandbaby, so I think it is safe to say that I was completely spoiled. As a child she would buy me lots of cute little Osh’Kosh outfits, so I feel certain that is where I get my shopping addiction from, so every time I go shopping now I’ll put a smile on my face and think of her. She cared and worried about people, and when I started traveling with my job two and a half years ago, she insisted that I send her my flight numbers for every trip and call her when I land after every flight. She would even ask Pop if it was ok if I called past his bedtime of 8 o’clock sometimes if my flight was going to come in later, and he knew that she would worry if she didn’t hear from me so he always said yes. She inspected my travel itineraries carefully, in fact, one time she found a mistake that I didn’t and called me to inform that I didn’t have a hotel in Memphis, TN, so she wanted me to call my travel agency with work right away – she couldn’t stand the thought that I would be arriving there without a hotel to stay in.
I went to UNC and then lived in Raleigh for three years after that, but this past September I bought a house in Charlotte. I had decided that I was moving back closer to home because I wanted to be closer to my family. I knew that Mom and Pop were getting older, and I wanted to be able to go their house on Sunday afternoons for our traditions. Mom absolutely loved having us over on Sunday afternoons and always made a delicious sweet treat for my momma and my aunt Paula. With a cup of coffee, a piece of Mom’s delicious pound cake, or piece of hidden candy (she had to hide all the candy with sugar from Pop), off we head to the living room to watch the race or golf if there wasn’t a race on. One of the other advantages was that I could go eat lunch or dinner at Mom and Pop’s on the days I wasn’t traveling, and I tried to do this once a week. I’d call her, and if I gave her a couple hours notice, I’d get there and she’d have a cake of cornbread already made up for me. Most Saturdays Momma, Mom, Pop, Kendall, and I would go to lunch, I always voted for Bar-B-Que King, and Mom never complained even though I know she would have preferred to go eat Chinese sometimes. I’m going to miss having her around, but Pop I promise we’ll still do all of these things!
She was always doing for others and so giving of herself and of her time. At all of our holiday meals, she was always asking everyone if there was anything specifically we wanted. She knew Kendall wanted crowder peas, Merideth wanted deviled eggs, Austin and Jason would eat pretty much anything, Dena wanted cornbread, and I had to have her special pinto beans and cornbread. Another amazing display of how giving she was, was how she took care of her aunt Nuttie. For nearly four years, Nuttie was in Cardinal Care, and Mom took crackers, sweets, and clean laundry to her twice a week if not more. Nuttie didn’t always make this a pleasant experience for Mom, but that didn’t stop her; she loved her and wanted to care of her.
I know many of you probably know her from when her and Pop ran the Dry Cleaners together, but I don’t have many memories of that except when Momma would take us up there, Mom would tell me I could have a few pieces of Super Bubble. I do, however, know how much she has enjoyed working at Magic Cleaners. Working two days a week for the past several years has provided so much joy in her life, as she has been able to see the customers and stay active, which was so important to her. Just in the past two days I have heard from so many people, “ I never saw her without a smile on her face.”
She loved my grandfather so much. It is like my Uncle Kenny said yesterday, the example of love that they have shown him over the past 55 years (well for me 26 years) has meant so much. They didn’t do anything without each other, and after 55 years of marriage, that is simply beautiful. Pop, I am so glad that you two were able to go to Pigeon Forge and spend your weekend together two weeks ago; I hope you will cherish those memories for the years to come. In recent years, Pop hasn’t been able to hear that well, and I can remember on Sundays when we would be over there, the TV would be so loud that I would fuss and say it was going to give me a headache, not Mom. She would just say, it is alright, I put tissue or cotton in my ears. I know you are going to miss her Pop, but believe me she knew how much you loved her, and she is in a better place and no longer in pain.
Kendall, I know you are really struggling right now because Mom will not be there on your wedding day. Just think about how proud she was about finding a dress in Pigeon Forge and think about how pretty she looked in it, at least she did get to wear it. She’ll be with us in spirit that day, and I know she will be smiling in Heaven because you are going to be a beautiful bride.
I’m not really sure how to finish talking about someone who truly was one of my best friends. I know it sounds crazy that my 77 year old grandmother was one of my best friends, but I talked to her every day of my life, she was my biggest cheerleader. She wanted to know everything that was going on in my life. I will miss her so much, and I know my entire family will, but I know with our faith in God we will get through this.
We love you Mom, Mimi, Momaw, Teeny, and Christine.
I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about how wonderful my grandmother, Christine “Teeny” Saine was to my family and me. I should probably clear up any confusion now: all the grandkids called her something different. My sister and I called her “Mom,” Kenny’s children called her “Mimi,” and Dena called her Momaw. She was a woman loved by so many people; in the past two days alone we have already started to see how many lives she affected and how much people cared for her.
Growing up, I was extremely fortunate to live just five minutes away from Mom and Pop, so I spent a lot of time at their house. I was the first grandbaby, so I think it is safe to say that I was completely spoiled. As a child she would buy me lots of cute little Osh’Kosh outfits, so I feel certain that is where I get my shopping addiction from, so every time I go shopping now I’ll put a smile on my face and think of her. She cared and worried about people, and when I started traveling with my job two and a half years ago, she insisted that I send her my flight numbers for every trip and call her when I land after every flight. She would even ask Pop if it was ok if I called past his bedtime of 8 o’clock sometimes if my flight was going to come in later, and he knew that she would worry if she didn’t hear from me so he always said yes. She inspected my travel itineraries carefully, in fact, one time she found a mistake that I didn’t and called me to inform that I didn’t have a hotel in Memphis, TN, so she wanted me to call my travel agency with work right away – she couldn’t stand the thought that I would be arriving there without a hotel to stay in.
I went to UNC and then lived in Raleigh for three years after that, but this past September I bought a house in Charlotte. I had decided that I was moving back closer to home because I wanted to be closer to my family. I knew that Mom and Pop were getting older, and I wanted to be able to go their house on Sunday afternoons for our traditions. Mom absolutely loved having us over on Sunday afternoons and always made a delicious sweet treat for my momma and my aunt Paula. With a cup of coffee, a piece of Mom’s delicious pound cake, or piece of hidden candy (she had to hide all the candy with sugar from Pop), off we head to the living room to watch the race or golf if there wasn’t a race on. One of the other advantages was that I could go eat lunch or dinner at Mom and Pop’s on the days I wasn’t traveling, and I tried to do this once a week. I’d call her, and if I gave her a couple hours notice, I’d get there and she’d have a cake of cornbread already made up for me. Most Saturdays Momma, Mom, Pop, Kendall, and I would go to lunch, I always voted for Bar-B-Que King, and Mom never complained even though I know she would have preferred to go eat Chinese sometimes. I’m going to miss having her around, but Pop I promise we’ll still do all of these things!
She was always doing for others and so giving of herself and of her time. At all of our holiday meals, she was always asking everyone if there was anything specifically we wanted. She knew Kendall wanted crowder peas, Merideth wanted deviled eggs, Austin and Jason would eat pretty much anything, Dena wanted cornbread, and I had to have her special pinto beans and cornbread. Another amazing display of how giving she was, was how she took care of her aunt Nuttie. For nearly four years, Nuttie was in Cardinal Care, and Mom took crackers, sweets, and clean laundry to her twice a week if not more. Nuttie didn’t always make this a pleasant experience for Mom, but that didn’t stop her; she loved her and wanted to care of her.
I know many of you probably know her from when her and Pop ran the Dry Cleaners together, but I don’t have many memories of that except when Momma would take us up there, Mom would tell me I could have a few pieces of Super Bubble. I do, however, know how much she has enjoyed working at Magic Cleaners. Working two days a week for the past several years has provided so much joy in her life, as she has been able to see the customers and stay active, which was so important to her. Just in the past two days I have heard from so many people, “ I never saw her without a smile on her face.”
She loved my grandfather so much. It is like my Uncle Kenny said yesterday, the example of love that they have shown him over the past 55 years (well for me 26 years) has meant so much. They didn’t do anything without each other, and after 55 years of marriage, that is simply beautiful. Pop, I am so glad that you two were able to go to Pigeon Forge and spend your weekend together two weeks ago; I hope you will cherish those memories for the years to come. In recent years, Pop hasn’t been able to hear that well, and I can remember on Sundays when we would be over there, the TV would be so loud that I would fuss and say it was going to give me a headache, not Mom. She would just say, it is alright, I put tissue or cotton in my ears. I know you are going to miss her Pop, but believe me she knew how much you loved her, and she is in a better place and no longer in pain.
Kendall, I know you are really struggling right now because Mom will not be there on your wedding day. Just think about how proud she was about finding a dress in Pigeon Forge and think about how pretty she looked in it, at least she did get to wear it. She’ll be with us in spirit that day, and I know she will be smiling in Heaven because you are going to be a beautiful bride.
I’m not really sure how to finish talking about someone who truly was one of my best friends. I know it sounds crazy that my 77 year old grandmother was one of my best friends, but I talked to her every day of my life, she was my biggest cheerleader. She wanted to know everything that was going on in my life. I will miss her so much, and I know my entire family will, but I know with our faith in God we will get through this.
We love you Mom, Mimi, Momaw, Teeny, and Christine.
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