That's Just Special!

That's Just Special!

By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee

I wonder 'why?'.......... when I was growing up... I didn't have a nickname like 'other people'?  All the other kids had nicknames... fun nicknames.  Nick names that 'said something important about them'.  I think maybe because I was the most 'unimportant' person in the world, then.  :)))

Just recently I've gotten ... 2 ... fun, good nicknames from one of my friends on Wordpress!  I loved them!  The two nicknames are:      GG/G ..... and Triple G..... Thank-you, Colleen at The Chatter Blog (http://bikecolleenbrown.wordpress.com/ ...... you made me smile seeing your nickname for me .... not one, but... two!

It just means the world to me!  I love it!  You had no idea that you would touch my heart when you did that... nor know 'how I always felt about wishing for a nickname, too).  Colleen, that's .... just special!

Later on, I will have to write about those three words when 'I' say them.  It always created a little thing when I would say that ... because I 'put my heart in it..... when saying those words'.  When I said them... I 'meant it with my very heart'... it just meant so much to me.

It had to do with Tommy, and his family and Skip.  They would begin smiling when I'd say ....'that's just special!'  I didn't realize that it had become a 'trademark' for me.  I only caught on when I accidently noticed after saying those words.... that everyone began smiling!  and looking at each other!

For several moments... I look back to 'then'.... I see Tommy's eyes smiling a soft, affectionate smile looking at me, his mother.  I feel a tear slipping down my right cheek... I keep swallowing to get myself under control.... my thoughts were .... 'back in the good days'.  I just closed my eyes tightly, rubbed them hard... I think I felt frustration as well as deep, deep grief.  I do miss my son.....

Not long ago, I was called ... GG.  It just made me happy to see a nickname... someone gave me!  I never grew up with a nickname like other people.  I never knew 'why?'

Years ago, I worked at the hospital... I would do art work for different people, and do the monthly birthday poster for the personnel manager.

When I say 'do the monthly birthday poster'... it wasn't 'just a poster'... when I did it... it became 'very special'.  I put so much love, myself into each of them.  They stood out to people, they recognized that I wanted, loved to do each poster.

I would work for hours upon hours drawing, creating... hours upon hours cutting, glueing small pieces to create one big piece of artwork.... to make a birthday poster.  It made me very happy because so many people would actually... look forward ... 'to something that I did.... 'me'.  I can't tell you how much that meant to me.

Well... I did get a nickname from one lady who worked in housekeeping.  Her name was Shirley.  She would come into the office and see me drawing.  She would ask me what was I doing when she would see the black and white drawings I did.... I would tell her I was 'doodling'.  She said 'if that's doodling, it's no telling what you can do when drawing!'

She began to call me 'Doodles'.  I never told Shirley just how much that meant to me....  she had given me a ... nickname!!!  I would secretly smile everytime she called me ... Doodles!  I know you all think this is silly... but, that meant the world to me... I had a nickname!

Do you know that alot of people have my 'doodles' in picture frames?  People always wanted them when I finished them.  I would do a 'doodle' on a sheet of card stock with a black Sharpie pen.... I would 'doodle' until that whole sheet was completed... and it was so neat, so interesting (even to me.... I was always trying to 'read' myself!  :)))

Maybe that was why people wanted my 'doodles' so, they could have insight into me, ha!  I was always so private... though I loved people, being around them.   I loved laughing, smiling, talking... don't you agree that when doing that... it's like 'when the sunshine comes out on a cloudy day?'

I just 'felt the sunshine'... when I typed those words!  It's 4:16 am in the morning!

Oh... when I was driving a tractor-trailer ... team driving with Skip (those were the days!  :)))... I did have a .... CB handle/nickname!  I just remembered that!  It was .... 'Baby Shoes'!

I can't remember who began calling me Baby Shoes.  They were always saying my shoes were little... I had little feet.  What they didn't realize was... that I have 'big-little feet'!!!  :)))

Well... you can't see the 'big'..... in my feet... but, I know it's there!  I know that I actually have a 'wide' foot.... that's why I said that.  I think it comes from going barefoot often through the years at home.  Then again... Tommy had feet like mine.... but, his foot was a size 12!  Skip has a narrow foot ... and he wears size 12.

When I thought of the 'driving a big truck days'... do you know the first image that pops into my mind?  Hot air balloons with hundreds of happy colors!  and California!  That was a wonderful memory.... driving on the interstate along side of hundreds of hot air balloons... seeing so many colors at once!

You all know how I love happy colors!  I smiled so much as I drove that big truck.... looking out to my left.  Those hot air balloons were over a deep valley 'so far down'!

I just closed my eyes to 'see for a moment'....I 'see' a woman waving wildly at me ... I 'see me' ... waving wildly back... we both had big smiles on our faces.  I wonder if it was because 'she and I were women, and we were doing something alot of women didn't normally ...do?'

Happy colors and sunshine!  Smiles, happy faces!  All those wonderful colors, all those hot air balloons... I can feel the warmth in my mind at this very moment!  It's just like seeing those two nicknames that Colleen gave .. me!  That's just special!!!  :)))