How I Named My Company: "The Orange Chair"

That Orange Chair, next to her stack of books piled high,
which lasted but a little while.
For Gma loved to read and read, 
to consume books really.
Which led us to the bookstore, 
getting lost for hours in wistful wonder,
i.e., picking up more books than we put back down,
sheepishly giggling at the checkout counter...
"Don't tell us the total!"

That Orange Chair in the corner of the room,
sunken in the middle,
from which springs forth such sweet, doing normal life together memories.

That Orange Chair, 
near the feet of which I sat,
where she laughed and taught and listened and laughed some more,
where I grew and laughed back.

That Orange Chair,
where my dream first sprouted,
where she poured into me,
which I now pour into you,
through my own
Orange Chair books.

When I was younger, my Gma (maternal grandmother) used to pick up me and my older brother from school.  She always had a warm meal waiting for us.  As we waited to go home, Gma would sit in her orange chair that always sat in the same corner of the room in front of her upright piano.  I don't think I ever saw a time when she didn't have a stack of books on the table next to her chair.  I would always sit on the floor near her. 

There's this one specific memory I have of packing a tote bag with intentionally selected paper to take to Gma's house so I could write while she read.  But when I poised my pen above the paper, I had no words to put down!  The next time, I was prepared - I brought a dictionary to copy.  Can't say I got much further than "aardvark." 

Gma, Mom, and I would trade books.  And when I say we'd consume them, I mean it!  We loved sitting for hours devouring a book, along with Mrs. Baird's bread and a tall glass of whole milk.  Our "quick trips" to Half Priced Books and Barnes & Noble to restock devolved into hours of scouring each aisle for "just one more" book.  We'd meet up in the middle, only to part ways again: "I'll be in this aisle Gma!"

Gma went home to the Lord in March 2019.  I can't think of a more fitting idea than to honor my grandmother with one of our greatest shared passions, our love for books.  The Orange Chair, LLC is dedicated to my grandmother.  This blog is to share with you my journey.  

I hope I can bring you, through my creations, as much joy as we've experienced in the world of reading.

This is Gma, as I remember her.

This is Gma too.  What a beauty.

And this is the orange chair (with my great aunt pictured).  It's the only picture I can find of the chair.  Unfortunately, the chair was discarded before I could claim it.  I may just need to have one made some day...