Gravy Reminders

Sisters
Originally uploaded by podso.

Whenever I thicken a sauce or gravy, I reach for a Tupperware mixer container and think of my aunt. It's funny how certain things trigger memories. I am immediately back in her kitchen where she is cooking us newlyweds Sunday dinner and working on the gravy with a similar container.

But more than just remembering gravy, I sense the warmth of her hospitality when I think of her. That's what I remember the most about my mother's sister, the woman I was named for. She was a lady seasoned with grace. Her 20 years living as a doctor's wife in a little Alaskan village were not easy, but she was not one to complain. I didn't visit her there but did after they returned to the "lower 48." Her home was gracious, as was her hospitality. I remember delicious meals, and the comfort of the Prophet's Chamber, with every detail perfect for weary travelers. She wasn't the most talkative of the bunch, but she had a great sense of humor and a ready, listening ear. She was a homemaker in every sense of the word, coming alongside her husband, loving and caring about and for her kids,--even her nieces and nephews--a true “Proverbs 31 woman.”

Now her pain is gone, replaced with perfect health and pure joy in her Savior's presence. In no time at all we will join her, but for now we savor that hope …

"The list of loved ones who have gone every year grows longer,
And everyday that I live on my ties to them grow stronger.
I long for family and friends, to see some lost face.
But I know at my journey's end, they are saving me a place
At a table bright with candlelight and linens edged with lace.
The ones so dear from my time down here, are saving me a place."
~R. & L. Williams