Why Osiris Organization?

April 27^th, 2010, My Loving Grandmother, “Minnie C. Roddy”

Grandmothers take great pleasure in enjoying every moment with their grandchildren. I have never known a grandparent who could look their grandchildren in the eye and say “NO”.

Grandchild: “Grandmother, could you take us hang gliding off Mount Kilimanjaro next week”?

Grandmother: “Ok honey, let me take a few pain pills to make sure my back holds up”. “Now grandma can only do this once, ok honey”?

Grandchild: “Ok, grandma, are we going to have some milk and cookies too”?

Grandmother: “Yes, honey, you know grandma can’t have you being hungry.

Grandchild: “Thanks grandma, we like coming to see you!”

Image living full time with your grandmother who loves you every moment.  This was my childhood.

Grandmother was born in 1919 in rural Arkansas. She married grandfather when she was just 15.  Traditional southern values system framed grandmother. If a guest arrived at our house they were always invited to eat. If it was Sunday morning you’d find her at church.

Grandmother’s most memorable statement to me was, “son always treat people the way you want to be treated”.  As I reflect on this it reminds me of Gandhi: “Be the change in the world that you want to see”.

She would teach me these things as I sat in the kitchen as she stirred her pots. I’d wait to eat the remaining cake batter out of the bowl. “Momma can I have the rest of the cake mixture”? She never said no.

I did not have a lot of clothes but Grandmother always made sure they were cleaned.  It seems to me that in those days working class folks were like that. Taking pride in taking care of what they had even though they didn’t have a lot. I don’t remember any keeping up with the Joneses mentality.

Grandmother would say, “son always remember acts of kindness”. Then I would go out and see a fight in our neighborhood over insignificant topics and acts of total cruelty.  To my young mind, this was so confusing. This consternation followed me through my high schools years as well.

To protect myself emotionally, I unconsciously sought out friends who seemed to have similar family values.