Writing Cards to Nani

Some time ago I mentioned my Nani, my maternal grandmother. She is an amazing woman who has had an adventurous life. She spent most of her childhood years in Lucknow, India. Her parents were missionaires, as her own grandparents had also been. India is a part of my heritage that you would not guess looking at my freckles and auburn hair... but, on this side of my family, home cookin' is Chicken Curry and Rice, and an array of Chutneys. Her childhood included tales of elephants, Nepal, Tibet, and terrifying exits from the country during WWII. I could write an entire series on here about how different her life was from the ordinary. Her name is Pinky, for goodness sakes! In addition to India being a part of my heritage, she spent a great deal of my childhood teaching me about my Kansas heritage as well. In fact, our family still manages wheat farms in Kiowa, Kansas. She is an amazing woman... and an Alpha Chi Omega, at that!

For probably ten years now, she has been sending me homemade cards almost monthly. They are always folded cardstock with photos of family pasted in a collage on the front. The note inside contains proverbs, poems, Bible verses, and joyful, supportive thoughts about the stage of my life I am in. As a part of my 101 in 1,001 list, I am going to try to pay it forward. #78 on the list is writing 20 cards to my Nani. This is an easy one, because writing her is plain fun. You can brag to your grandmother... because being your personal cheerleader is a grandmother's job.

(My mother and Nani on my sister's wedding day)