E(ileen) and Her Elephants

Elephants are beautiful creatures that have a rich significance in my family. My grandmother, Eileen, was the much loved matriarch on my dad's side of of the family. She was an amazing woman who passed away too soon in June of 2008. We continue to have an extremely hard time not having her around when we need to share family news, or to simply say hi.

She was not able to attend my wedding that was two months after she passed. She also missed the excitement of her first great-grand child, my daughter Emma Eileen, being born. Eileen was such an influence in my life, that I gave Emma my grandmothers name as a middle name.

Eileen was an avid BINGO player, and with that came superstition. She carried good luck charms with her in her BINGO bag each time she played. She had heard elephants were good luck, so she started carrying a small elephant to help aide her in hitting the jackpot. This led to a family tradition of giving her collectible elephants. Before she passed, her house had a beautiful collection displayed for all to enjoy.

Now, whenever I see an elephant, I immediately think of her. When Emma was born, I inherited a display case with many of my Grandma's elephants. this is proudly displayed in Emma's bedroom. In 2010, I got a small elephant tattoo in memory of my Grandma Eileen. This is pictured below.

Miss you Gram!