Ode to My Grandma George

So this blog post will be dedicated to one of the all time greatest people in my life, my grandmother. She was not rich, nor beautiful in a worldly sense when I knew her. She lived in poverty all of her life. She had a mouth like a sailor at times. She was also the most loving person I ever knew, and she is one of the people who probably kept me sane in a very turbulent childhood.
Vera Aileen Batchelor was one of 19 children (I think) When her father died there were still 13 children left at home. She got married at an early age to my Grandpa, John Edward George. She had 5 children, my dad being her third boy. She worked almost all of her life. When I first spent a lot of time with her she worked at the turkey plant that was close to her house. She did what she had to in order to keep her house together. When my dad died, she would take me on Friday nights to give my mom a night off. We would snuggle in her big chair and she would tell me stories and recite poetry. She told me about how her mother would read books while the whole neighborhood would gather to hear her. She made me feel loved at all times, even when I was naughty. She didn't let me off for being naughty, she was firm about what was right and what was wrong, but the love came through just the same. She was like me, an early riser, and she let me invade her quiet time. She liked to make things. She made the dress that I was sealed to my family in. She made little dolls, doll clothes, fridge magnets, she sewed, she quilted, she embroidered and she was an excellent cook. She was always giving me things. I couldn't walk out of her house without some treasure she had given me.
This week I have been canning, and this is something that reminds me of my grandma. She was an avid canner, and she would make the most amazing chili sauce. I have tried to recreate it, but I am still not there yet. I miss her. It's funny, because we have some family that didn't want my mother to take us to Grandma's so much. They drank, (not Grandma but everyone else on that side seemed to) they smoked over there (again not Grandma) and they cussed. They didn't go to church. But my mother understood that we needed all the love we could get and I am proud that she was always good to my grandmother. When my brother Dan got married, Grandma took out her endowments so she could see him get married in the temple. My mother was honored to be her escort. One day, when I see her again, I hope to be able to express to her what she means to me, but somehow, with her loving heart I am sure she already knows.