Granny's Front Porch Swing

Granny's Love Never Dies and Her Joy Never Fades

This photo of Granny was taken as she arrived at our wedding in a Limo, on June 9, 2001.  We sent the driver to pick up our grandparents for the wedding, because we knew they had never ridden in a Limo before.  As you can see from the joy on her face, Granny was ticked pink about riding in that "big ol' car." 

My beloved Granny Wright...she was and always will be a kindred spirit with my own, and she gave me more inspiration to succeed than she could have ever known.  She was my shoulder to cry on and my hand to hold in the midst of every storm in my life and every mountain I had to climb.  She was there for me through the good and the bad, and she never doubted me, my motives, or my dreams for one second.  She was the only person in my life who, I believe, ever truly, deeply believed in me 100 per cent, no matter what.  I have grieved for her loss for over eight years now, since she has gone on to be with Jesus.  I know she is in a better place and is rejoicing in health, but I think of her daily, and what she would say or do about certain situations.  I still find myself wanting to pick up the phone to tell her about things that happen in my life, good and bad.  I used to actually dial her number for a while after her passing, before realizing she wasn't there to answer my calls.  I pass by her old house almost daily and want to stop by so badly…just to reminisce, but it is now gated and locked up, belonging new owners outside the family.  I always felt so connected to that land there, where I used to roam about freely and happily in my childhood years.  

Granny made me work, but she also made me play, and I learned so much about myself and who I am today by reflecting on those memories of her, her stories of the past, and the place she called home the last 40 years of her life.  Granny was a one of a kind…just ask anyone around.  She was tough as nails and hard as a rock, but in the end she was still human…a fact I failed to realize until her final year of life at age 86.   I love to write, and, when I think back to where that love began, I remember myself as a little girl writing short stories and poems out on Granny's front-porch swing.  I have lost a great physical presence in my life since she has been gone, but her laughter and memories still fill my heart and my home today, more so than I ever could have imagined while she lived just a half mile “down the road.”  I miss her dearly.

As I get older in life, I am finding out more and more that I should have listened to all those "ramblings" about family and connections that my grandmother used to tell me.  Lorene Smith Wright was a wealth of knowledge, but in regards to most of the people she talked about, I had no idea who they were; therefore, most of the information went in one ear and out the other.  It wasn't until I had my daughter, Kylie, that I became inspired to find out about my family history.  I then went to Granny to clarify some of the things I remembered her saying in the past about my family.  At the time, though, I didn't know much of the big picture, and I only wanted to know about my direct ancestors.  I am now seeing that there was so much more I needed to have asked her.  Their friend and family connections were very important to their lives and why they were who they were.  Most of the things she told me, I did not write down, because I was sure I wouldn't forget.  But I did forget a lot, so I have had to find things out through different, more difficult means.  A lot of her knowledge, I am sure, is lost forever, but I am dedicated to finding out as much as I can about my ancestors, so I can ramble on to my kids and grand kids about things they won’t know to appreciate until I am gone.  However, I plan to put what I know and learn in writing through this blog and various hard-copy collections, because I know that a written account is so much more concrete than word of mouth.  My sweet Granny Wright passed away when my daughter, Kylie, was only two years old, a few days after I found out about my pregnancy with my son, Kaden.  We named him Kaden Wright Grogan as a tribute to her and my Wright family name.  A friend once told me the following when I was upset that my Granny never got to meet Kaden: “she did get to meet him, because she went to heaven and picked him out for you.”  I know that God gives us the children he wants us to have, but that idea has always been uplifting to me when I get sad and start missing my Granny.  Until this day, Kaden still ascertains that he did, indeed, meet Granny in person...and, who knows, maybe he did.  Her picture remains on our refrigerator, and she is an integral part of our lives in the room she loved the most: the kitchen.  I often find myself having conversations about life to her picture, not even realizing that I am doing so, until someone comes through the house to ask, "Mama, who are you talking to?"  I answer simply, "Granny."  She had the most presence of any person I have ever had the privilege to know, and her presence lives on strongly within us, even eight years after her "physical" death.

Having said all that, my Wright ancestors have always been more intriguing to me than any of the others, probably because I still live in the community that they were such a big part of for over 150 years.  I have been so blessed to be able to uncover some amazing clues about my family’s history from so many years ago.   I still have much to learn about these people who have inspired me to follow my heart and do more of what I love to do, which is to write.  I have always loved and wanted to write, but I felt that I needed something “special” to write about.  I realize that the content of my family history may not be intriguing or relevant to ethnically-diverse audiences, but I do hope that many people can get a better understanding of their own families who were in this area, specifically the Antioch, Polk County Community, during the Civil War Era, and I hope that the stories will prove interesting and entertaining for the reader.  There are many people out there with the “Wright” surname or with a relative of that name that I believe can make some connections to the Wrights of my family.  The information I have discovered about my family makes history come alive for me.  I know more about how I fit into the history of my community, my state, my country, and my world.  

Finding out all of this information has been no easy task, as I have spent countless hours reading old documents and searching through genealogy websites trying to match what I know with the research that others have done before me.  At times, I have been so frustrated because I couldn't find all the answers or make an important connection, but I had to come to the realization that I can’t let the things I don’t know get in the way of the things I do know and can share with other people.  I am hopeful that one day my children and possibly grandchildren will be able to use the information that I have found about their ancestors and their community to better understand themselves.  I want them to be proud of their heritage, not only their Wright heritage, but also of the heritage of all the men and women that make up their ancestral past.  I thank God for all of them.  We are their legacy, and I am proud to be a part of that.  I feel that family research gives a person the roots to support their branches, and I am thankful for the information that has allowed me to compile the stories I have and share the connections I have made.  I am appreciative to those family members who have answered my numerous questions and indulged my obsessions throughout this process.  I believe God anoints us to do certain things at specific times, and I feel that this is my time.  I want to research and write while my passion for the story remains strong.  I don't want to forget anything I have learned before I putting it on paper, the way I had forgotten things before.  I believe this process is making me a stronger person with a better understanding of myself and how and where I fit into God's Master Plan.  I pray that God will use me throughout this time in my life to accomplish His will.  I am His vessel.  God is my true inspiration, and He is the most significant part of my family history. He is my Heavenly Father.  I am completely humbled to be able to present vital information of my family and community, and I feel that God is using me in the process to do things I am not yet aware of.  My life and my dreams are in His hands, and I am thankful that my dream of writing is one that He is allowing me, inspiring me, and anointing me to do.  God Bless!

Bobbie