Seventy Years of Sisterhood

Hi, Y’all!

Yes, I am back with another gooden for y’all—and I promise that it is a real gooden!

There is a very special milestone that my Gramma Jewel is celebrating today. You see, it was on this day in 1946 that my Gramma Jewel became best friends with one Ms. Millie Vanderkellen. As the story goes, these two ladies grew up in the Mississippi Delta, and though they grew up in different backgrounds, their friendship has always remained strong and steadfast through these seventy years. As a matter of fact, Gramma Jewel has made it clear on several occasions—and I can quote her on this—that long before Auntie Gladys and Auntie Thel, there was Ms. Millie Ann Vanderkellen.

The sisterhood that Gramma Jewel and Auntie Millie share was inspired by the foundation of friendship and trust laid down by my great grandparents and Auntie Millie’s mom and dad. Both ladies shared how they were somewhat sheltered by the evils and hatred of the world, yet they noticed how their respective parents boldly stood out against bigotry and prejudice. Of course, their actions led them to be relatively exiled, but it was Auntie Millie’s dad who stated that he would rather lose a lot of phonies than lose “one damn good friend in Gregory Otis Coleman.”

And as you can see in the picture, Gramma Jewel and Auntie Millie have continued to keep that legacy alive to this very day.

In closing this blog post, I would like to say that I am grateful to have Auntie Millie as part of my family. She is such a fun lady, and she’s got some spunk in her, too… but then again, that’s from years of hanging around Gramma Jewel!

Congratulations, Ladies—and may God bless y’all with many more years.


Smooches,
Natasha