Prominent cheeks and kind eyes: the beautiful Maggie
We may have seen Clay instead of Gold
The Story of the Cave
The glass is dark
"My mother was my best friend" . . .Billie Carol
Far right: Elizabeth Chkoreff is one of Maggie's grand daughters
Foto far right:
Standing are Maggie, J.F. Kimmons; seated : Jane Elizabeth Burnett Kimmons holding James Felix "Jim" Kimmons
Sitting with the "smell of death"
Maggie, Sis, and Jesus: small social accomplishments
MAGGIE'S LEGACY
Maggie's legacy, in hindsight, must be reflected upon by all who love McCranie people. This Christmas of 1997, just before the turn of the century, is a good time to do that kind of reflecting. Such reflection for some of us is a way of bringing Maggie back home for the holidays this year.
As we look back at her deeds of kindness, her bouts of hardship, her struggle in the last days, and her unflinching devotion to her husband and to her children, we can ponder now what she was all about.
During the time I composed this sketchy picture of Maggie with words, I often had an uncanny and uneasy feeling about the mysterious role she played on this earth and, the role she played at the microscopic level, inside our family.
In addition to that, I am troubled, somewhat, that I personally may have been not only deaf, but also blind to the beauty and good that I failed to behold. It is little comfort to me, but no doubt I was not alone on that count. In this world my friends, many of us may have seen ordinary clay when it was rare Gold that glittered onto our dumb eyes.
I am here reminded of a parable told by Plato, a little narrative that tries to demonstrate a human being's difficulty of "getting at" reality directly. In this well known "story of the cave," Plato said that all of us [humanity at large] are like people sitting in a dark cave where a fire is burning.
Now in the cave all that we can see are the shadows of objects created by the firelight instead of the actual objects [reality] themselves. Ah, Paul, the great apostle of Christ, said it before Plato: "We see through a glass as darkly." We see a shadow and miss the object itself. There are angels about us and we miss them. There is gold on the table and we think it is clay. We see mighty oceans, majestic mountains, stars and new-born babies and doubt there is a God. The glass is so dark. And darkness is a form of ignorance.
THE EARLY YEARS
Like so many rural children of her generation, including all my uncles and aunts on both sides, Maggie never attained much education, never traveled far, never made any prestigious list of "Who's Who" [but, I am proud and happy to say that her children have done so].
To their everlasting credit, much of what Maggie's children do today is in fact dedicated to her memory. Indeed, they said to me, "Mama's death almost destroyed me 'cause I loved her so much."
Maggie's only daughter, Billie Carol Kimmons Chkoreff, wrote about her mother in December 1997:
My mother was my best friend. She always understood James and me. She was an incredible daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother.
She stayed with me a lot when I lived here in Georgia and when I lived in California we had hour long conversations by phone. I came home and camped out in McCranie Lane as much as I could.
My children have always called her "Mama" too. They loved her dearly and she loved all of her grandchildren. She used to say over and over that your children were the only things that mattered.
She advised and guided me always on how to take care of my children. fortunately, I listened and obeyed her advice. My children are my treasures today. Larry and I are so grateful for all her teachings and admonitions as we are rewarded for her advice daily.
Mercy
My mother's history could be summarized in one word: MERCY. she had the world of patience for the down and out, the sick and the throwaways. She was truly the "Good Samaritan."
Along our journey in life it s always a moment of unforgettable memory when a person extends a hand of mercy to us at our lowest ebb of pain. Mama smelled blood. However, she didn't run from it, as some did. Instead, she embraced that one whom no one else wanted to smell.
If it was the smell of death, she sat by their side until life's spirit departed to another place. She chose to 'just be there quietly' trying to bring some relief from their suffering. She had a way of cutting through all of the garbage of pride and flattery to the heart of the matter.
While some hold high the superficial banners of this world's power, she chose her family and her good earth of McCranie Lane as the real treasures of this world. Her father was her shining hero. She held him as high as one daughter possible could. They were extremely close.
I will always be thankful the good Lord brought my father into her life as she needed a friend who was a 'true blue friend.' Yes, that is what she told me thousands of times about my dad. 'Billie Carol.' she would say 'JF was the best friend I ever had.' He not only provided for her long after his death, but he gave her us which, to her, were the only real treasures.
She had such a high appreciation for the value of human life. especially her own family. I'm sure my father felt he had found a very loyal and trusted friend at long last. She nursed him to his death, and his grandest hour, as he approached heaven's portal.
Today, I am much comforted by Sis and Maggie's relatively "little accomplishments" whenever I remember that Jesus himself never climbed very high on the social ladder as a human being. Now I emphasize that I speak in social not spiritual terms.
"The foxes have holes, the birds have nests, but I have no place to rest my head." What is this? A homeless man? Yes. Remember also that socially speaking, Jesus was executed and was, in modern day terms, a felon. He was a rose but was perceived as a thorn.
THE BALL PLAYER
[JFK]
Even so, Mama was a star basketball player in her youth at Rhine High School. Mrs. Eltice Studstill [source: Aunt Liz Barron's daughter; Aunt Liz was double cousin with Pa and Uncle Abb. Their fathers were brothers and their mothers were first cousins].
Well, Mrs. Studstill, who is still living in 1997, played basketball with my mother. According to Studstill Mama was full of energy and pranks when she was a girl. Mama was pulling some sort of joke on people most of the time and was very witty.
MARRIAGE [jfk]
Mama was an old maid when she met my father. J.F. Kimmons at McGlohon's Grocery store. Daddy was boarding at the time with Mrs. Mattie Wright across the street from the store. Mrs. Wright was Uncle Albert's aunt.
Mama was staying with her sister Molly McCranie McGlohon and worked in the store.
