My Grandmother’s Apron

By Nancy McLendon

Unfortunately, my maternal grandmother, Ruth Harper Tuggle, whom we called “Muh,” passed away when I was eight years old. But there are still a few things I can recall and treasure about her. Like how she would say, “Much obliged,” when she would get out of the car after we had taken her to the “beauty parlor.” Or how she taught me how to swing on the large front porch of her home or gather eggs from the hen house. Or how she cared for my older brother and me when the twins were born. Or how she fed anyone who showed up at her door … whether they be home folks who would stay awhile or drifters passing by via Hwy 341 in need of some food. And to be considered what many would call poor, there was always plenty of food on that large oak table; food that had come from her and my granddaddy’s land and the labor of their hands and backs. Ah, yes. I can still feel the sweat running down my back and the smell of corn as she and the other women gathered in the old milking barn to “put up” vegetables from the garden. 

But the one thing that was distinct to me about Muh is that she always had an apron tied around her waist. It was not anything fancy by any means. Just a homemade piece of cloth she donned in the morning and took off before she went to bed. 

For most people, aprons are a thing of the past, but for my grandmother and those of her generation, an apron was a tool. Practically, it was worn to prevent soiling the dress it covered, keeping the garment from the wear and tear of too much washing. But she also used it to remove hot items from an oven or to pick up a warm pot from the stove. She used it to dry her hands, dishes … as well as tears. Hers and others. And when gathering those eggs or fallen apples or pears, it became a ready-made basket. It is known that Susanna Wesley, mother to 18 children including Charles and John, would throw her apron over her head for a moment of silence and prayer. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to learn that my grandmother did the same thing.

In the NRSV, 1 Peter 5:5 reads, “Clothe yourselves with humility.” The NLT says, “Serve each other with humility.” But it’s The Passion Translation that brings it home for me. “Wrap around yourself the APRON of a humble servant.” Ah, what a perfect word picture in my grandmother. But we are also given a perfect example: the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. One who left the glory of heaven and came to Earth taking the form of a humble servant. One who received, loved and cared for any who came to Him. One who “came not to be served but to serve…” (Matthew 20:28).

In all the years that passed after Muh died, I never heard anyone who knew my grandmother speak an unkind word about her. In fact, it was just the opposite. No one was able to praise her enough. Maybe it all goes back to her wrapping that apron around herself; the apron of a humble servant. 

Fortunately, I kept one of Muh’s aprons. Maybe I should go pull it out of that drawer and tie it around my own waist … not only in remembrance of her but also as a call to be like Christ in humility and servitude.