Great Grandma Meyers ... as a young child she scared the socks right off my feet. As an adult, I now realize she was more bark than bite, but still ...

My most vivid memories of Great Grandma are from the holidays. We would go to my grandparents house and she would be there for a visit. She had been widowed for several years, and holidays were always spent at her oldest son's home. She was small in stature, with eyes that sparkled with mischief. Her face was wrinkled from years spent in the sun and in hard work. I never did know what her husband did, but she raised 11 children, 9 of them boys -- and did it mostly on her own. She only had a few of her own teeth left, most of them lower teeth, and she never wore false teeth. Needless to say, her smile was rather disconcerting to a young child.

Of course, as young children, my cousins and I would always watch her - fascinated in a strange way with this odd looking woman. When she would catch us staring at her ... she would stick her lower jaw way out, showing those few teeth she had left, her eyes would be wide open and cold looking, and all together she looked scarier than all get out. Then she would growl at us and we would run and go hide - sometimes with sweat rolling off our faces from fright.

Getting a hug from great grandma was a breath taking experience. For such a small woman, she knew how to hug. Of course, my cousins and I would often talk about how maybe she was trying to squeeze all the air out of us. But truly, if you hurt your knee, she would make you feel better with her hug.

Recently I ran across some old family pictures and thought I'd share a picture of my great grandma. I hope you find her as lovable as I do.