A Woman of True Grit

This morning, as I sit quietly out on my deck, surrounded by the early songs of birds in their many distinct choruses, I hear the distant caw of a crow—and instantly, I’m reminded of my great grandmother, Eva Massey Hiland. We kids all called her “Gram.” As my dad used to say, “What a lady!”

Gram was a widow who raised five children of her own and three abandoned grandchildren...my mother being one of them—on the top of Massey Mountain in Scotland, Arkansas. Gram lived a life of true grit and determination. By today’s standards, she probably would have been considered poor, but she homesteaded several acres of rugged land and made a home out of hard work, resourcefulness, and a fierce love for her family.

To help make ends meet, her children and grandchildren picked cotton until, as Mom used to say, their fingers bled. Yet, Gram raised them all...her own children and those left in her care...on that mountain, with unwavering strength and dignity.

When I was young, my parents would load up my brother, Joe and me, and we’d make what felt like a "forever" journey to visit Gram in Scotland. We could hardly wait! That place was like a dream world to us and to all our cousins too. Joe and I would walk the dusty dirt roads, often catching sight of roadrunners, quail with their chicks, deer, and once, even a black fox! It was magical.

After Gram passed, my mother never returned. Mom passed away of cancer just two years after Gram died. Life had been incredibly hard for her on that mountain, and I doubt she would have ever returned anyway after Gram died. But for my brother and me, Scotland was always a place of wonder.

To this day, I try to go back about once a year. The dirt roads are still there, though the charm of the land has faded, now parceled out to various families. Yet, the big oak tree where we all once sat under as kids still stands....majestic and strong. Gram’s tiny house, now owned by people who are not related to any of us, is neglected and vacant. But we will always hold dear the wonderful memories of that sweet little lady and the life she lived on Massey Mountain. She was truly a pioneer...a woman of true grit!