MY MAMMAWS CHURCH

My Great Grandma, Mammaw, Cora Bell Waggoner would have been 91 this month. She was the most amazing woman I have ever met in my life, probably anyone that knew her would tell you that. Most people do not get to have their great grandparents in your life, My Mammaw was a big part of my life, she passed away when I was 17.
I have so many memories about her, we always went over to her house on Christmas & anytime I was down where she lived I had lunch with her on Monday. She always made you feel special and was always so glad to see me as I was her.
Another great thing about her was she was a Pastor of a church for a very long time, I am not sure on dates but for a big part of her life. I always loved going to her church, if I was down visiting it was always on my list to go on Sunday. She loved the Lord so much and you could always count on her to be on her knees praying for you, now I am not talking about ‘Lord bless my family’ she took the time and she called out everyone’s name. She was just an amazing woman, it will definitely never be the same without her here, but I am so thankful she was apart of so many years of my life.
Since I started doing photography for my profession I have wanted to take pictures of the church. If you don’t know me I am extremely sentimental to begin with, I think that is one of the many reasons I love pictures because I love the way a picture can take you back to that moment in time. I never saw this church with the pews full but it was always a place that was such a happy place to be. A lot of my blood built this church, the pews, the cross, my mom grew up in this church. It just has so much meaning, not only because it is a place of worship but because of all the hands that built it. It does make me sad that the doors are now closed and the the organ she played each Sunday is no longer being played but the memories are always there, sometimes remembering is what is important.

This last summer, my Great Aunt Sonya, my Mammaws daughter, passed away & I went down to the funeral. After I was able to go back and take pictures of the church, which like I said I had really wanted to do for quiet some time. I wasn't sure if I would be able to go back to the church because the church doors have been closed for a few years now & you just never know, so I was very grateful that I was able to take these few pictures.

Even though it is so simple it is such a beautiful place to me.

The sign is still in place and still has all the writing still on it. 

Mammaw was talented in so many ways and one of them was in music, every Sunday she played the organ. I wish there was video, maybe there is, of her playing because you could see in her eyes that music brought her joy.

The alter, where everyone came to give tithes and offering.

At the beginning of every service she played this song Unclouded Day, I found it in the hymnal.

(left is the first picture of us together after I was born & our last picture together on the right.)

This collage also has a picture of her chair at her house. Every Christmas she sat in the chair and just watched everyone open their gifts after she made her famous biscuits. As you can see in the picture of the two of us together she is sitting in the chair.  The picture of the chair was actually taken the first year the chair was empty.

I am so bless to have had this great woman in my life and to have loved and be loved by her.