Legacy of Love

A grandmother’s love goes beyond just family, but extends to other children who do not have homes. There are countless stories of grandmothers that are raising their grandchildren because of circumstances with their mothers or fathers. No matter the situation, when a grandmother sees a child in need, her love jumps into action.

My maternal great grandfather, Wilton Cheatham told my grandmother, Ellistine Cheatham Allen, in the early 1960s, to go get her brother’s children because, “ We take care of our blood.” They needed care because of the tragic death of their mother and the incapability of care from their father.

Taking care of family has been a valued tradition instilled in our family from generation to generation. It seems like this willingness to take care of family began with Lannie Pinner Cheatham, my 3^rd great grandmother. In 1910, Lannie was the head of her household and living with her were her grandchildren- Noel, Levie, Henry, and Moris Cheatum, according to that year’s census. These brothers and sisters may have been orphaned, abandoned, or something tragic may have happened to their parents. In 1910, Lannie would have been 82 years old and getting feeble with age. How in the world did she take care of herself and these children without the help of an older male? Did she take in laundry, clean homes, grow vegetables in her garden and sell them or did she take in sewing?  No matter what she had to do for her family to  survive nor how old and weak  she was , Lannie had a heart big enough to take in and raise the children as her own.

 As you can  see, taking care of our “ blood” is a recurring theme in the Cheatham/Pinner family. It’s in our DNA. Thank you, Lannie for possibly  beginning the loving and selfless tradition of taking care of family.

When love is activated, there is no limit to the number of hearts that will be touched and cared for. LIVES ARE SAVED AND CHANGED FOREVER.