Journal of a
Living Lady #140
Nancy
White Kelly
Today is Thanksgiving Day. As
you read this, I should in Memphis, gathered around the traditional turkey
dinner. You can be sure I will be giving thanks for yet another year to gather
with family and friends. Like most families we will tell childhood stories and
remember beloved family members.
Claudia Lee and Maudie Mae
(nee) Martin, identical twins from a family of nine children, were born just
after the Civil War. They entertained family and friends near Wyatt,
Mississippi. Those were the days before radio or television. Such gatherings
were happy social events. Claudia married Lonnie and Maudie married Trudy. Though twin Maudie never had children,
Claudia had three sons and two daughters, Georgia and Martha. Both Georgia and
Martha had a natural piano talent, an ear for music as it is called. Later,
Martha’s grandson, Charlie, would display that same innate rhythm and piano
style. Claudia Lee was my grandmother, Martha, my mother, and Charlie is my son.
Claudia played the guitar and
Maudie played the mandolin. Claudia sang soprano and Maudie supplied the alto.
Together they were a popular duet. The duo sang sanguine romantic melodies
like, “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree With Anybody Else but Me,” as well
as all the gospel favorites.
By the time I was old enough
to appreciate the singing of The Martin
Sisters, their gravelly voices were well past their prime. Grandma and Aunt
Maude continued playing those old, scarred string instruments as rapidly as their
aged, arthritic hands allowed. Not
surprising, “When They Ring those Golden Bells,” the favored hymn of
both twins, was played at both
funerals.
My favorite hymn, Whispering Hope, was penned in 1868. HOPE is a comforting word, a four-letter utterance
with nothing sinister or negative about it. HOPE has encouraged and sustained prisoners of war, the desperately
ill, and many trapped in the harsh circumstances of everyday life.
HOPE is a welcomed voice in a
bleak world It is the bedpost we
Christians hang our hat on, knowing that when we fall asleep for the last time
in this world we will awaken to a glorious new extension of life in heaven.
Wealth or fame may bring
temporary joy, but not HOPE. Sustaining HOPE is built on nothing less than the
absolute promises of God’s Word. God
has never failed me yet. I am placing all my trust in the only begotten Son of
God. Because of Jesus, I have a genuine expectation of seeing Claudia and
Maudie in the Sweet Bye and Bye. It is my sincere hope to see
many of you as well.
Happy Thanksgiving, 2001.
*********
