Haley Barbour’s poisonous ramblings bring to mind one of my fondest heroes, for I grew up in the same era that he did, and in very similar surroundings. That hero was my paternal grandmother, who we called Granny. She was a little old lady, lavender and lace, with cut glass and china in her living room and lace doilies on the arms of her furniture. She was sort of skinny and wrinkled ever since I can remember, and she had these startling blue eyes that sparkled most all the time.
She was born and raised in Arkansas and she was not silent about her belief, which went to her very core, that it was an absolute sin to judge or set apart another person based on the color of their skin. It was a requirement of a Christian person she believed, and taught her son and his children, to openly and without hesitation treat a black person in precisely the same manner as one would treat a white. It was not talked about much as I recall, it was just presented as the way of life.
Granny was great fun, and she made us better just by being who she was.
She was a delight, and perfect in teaching by example! And those blue eyes could look right through you, and if they were disappointed, it hurt worse than any spanking. Much like her son's same blue eyes.
ReplyDelete