Page 24 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2018 - Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS
2 2
Senior Senior
here were two senior citizens
who came to my mind when
TI was asked to write about
someone who had influenced my
life. My maternal grandmother,
whom I call Nana (68 years
old), and her mother (my great-
grandmother), whom I call Mama
B (95 years old), have both greatly
influenced my life in so many ways. adventures. Within each story was
My father has never been in the
picture, leaving my mother before
my twin brother and I were born.
My mother moved away within
eight months of our birth, leaving
us with our grandmother and
great-grandmother. The two were
amazing, working together to raise
my brother and me.
Nana took care of us on weekdays,
taking my brother and me to school
and other various, extracurricular
activities. On weekends, we went
to Mama B’s house to help her
around the house and provide her
company. Our great-grandfather,
Papa Joe, passed away as a result
of cancer in 2001, so our company
on the weekends became extra
important to Mama B.
24 Lubbock Senior Link
Spending time with Mama B
became something we looked
forward to. She always had many
stories she would tell us - about
Nana’s childhood, her childhood,
her time in the army as a nurse, etc.
She was pretty good at storytelling,
making up stories about “little
bunny Foo-Foo” and his
engraved a moral lesson, which has
had lasting effects on my brother
and me.
Every Sunday, Mama B took us
to New Home Baptist Church,
where we grew up in the Christian
faith. This has provided my life a
compass, and for that, I am grateful.
There were days that my brother
and I did not want to go, but Mama
B dragged us there anyway, and
though I may not have realized
the value of her actions in those
moments, I now am thankful.
Eventually, we started attending
church in Lubbock with Nana, as
she got us involved with the youth
program at Lakeridge United
Methodist Church. This gave my
brother and me the opportunity
2X2:
Dedicated
Grandmothers
and Twin Boys
by Jonathan Unfred
to connect with kids our age in
an atmosphere centered around
Christ. Nana took us to youth group
every Wednesday night and even
spent her time working the youth
group’s “fried cheese on a stick”
booth at the fair to earn money for
us to attend church camps over
the summer. Her dedication gave
my brother and me memories and
connections that will last all of our
lives.
In elementary school, my brother
and I became involved in Boy
Scouts. Nana took us every week,
whether or not we wanted to go,
much like Mama B had with church.
Of course, at a young age, we were
annoyed by such choices out of our