It was bittersweet and touching for me to remember my grandmother, Franny Dawson, through this poem, which I read at her two memorial services:
One of my grandmother’s greatest loves was gardening. She was a member of the Garden Club in Alexandria for many years, and to this day at Camp Alleghany we still plant red geraniums around several places in her honor. This poem reminds me of her.
My Grandmother Kept A Garden
My Grandmother kept a garden.
A garden of the heart;
She planted all the good things,
That gave my life it’s start.
She turned me to the sunshine,
And encouraged me to dream:
Fostering and nurturing
The seeds of self-esteem.
And when the winds and rains came,
She protected me enough;
But not too much, she knew I’d need
To stand up strong and tough.
Her constant good example,
Always taught me right from wrong;
Markers for my pathway
To last my whole life long.
I am my Grandmother’s garden,
I am her legacy.
And I hope today she feels the love,
Reflected back from me.
–Author unknown
I hope this poem resonates with grandchildren everywhere in remembering all that your grandmother means to you.
–Elizabeth Dawson Shreckhise, Assistant Director
