Over the holiday, we played a lot of cards.

Grandmas favorite is Crazy 8s.

It reminded me of countless evenings in Corpus Christi, Texas, playing at her kitchen table in the house on Southern.

In her kitchen, she had a round table that was built into a bay window. Half of the table was surrounded by a bench. My brother and I would crawl in there, eat her banana pudding and play.

I never, ever could win though. She always knew just what suit to play when I was down to one card and I would end up with the entire deck in my hand.

She is still sharp as a tack. She knew exactly what cards were left and I loved watching the kids giggle when they were just sure they had her.

When I was younger, I would go into my grandmother’s dining room after we finished dessert and cards. As if it was a ritual, I would look at her china cabinet and search for the kissing angels and the valentines decorations. I would run my fingers over her gold dinnerware that was all placed perfectly.

I would sprawl out on the floor under her 18 person dining table on her velvet maroon carpet and fall asleep.

Sometime later, mom would wake me up and I would sleep with grandmother in her room at the top of the stairs.

I would wake up to curtains pouring in the morning sun. Those curtains carried the ocean breeze over to me and wrapped me in the warmth of the beach.

I would lay in bed and look over at her oil fountain… a young lady showering in the sunlight. I would listen to my mother, my aunts and my grandmother giggle over breakfast. I would breathe deep the smell of coffee and tamales. I was just sure that my grandmother was the absolute richest person I had ever known.

Watching her play with my own children and hug them and love them and know them…. really, really know everything about them ~ I am sure, she has passed on all her inheritance to me.

Have a wonderful, blessed day dear friends,

Kate