We just waved goodbye to my grandmother Dulce and great aunt Sudie after two days of visiting. Friday they arrived, courtesy of my mom's chariot, and we treated them to a lunch at Neiman Marcus's Mariposa Cafe.

When I was a little girl, youngest of three daughters, twice yearly I looked forward to brown packages with Sudie's handwriting on the label. Inside the crisp tissue paper wafted the scent of her pumpkin-colored house as we revealed exquisite dresses from Neiman's. She, along with her impeccably dressed husband Warren, never failed to supply us with the best dresses we ever owned. Once I remember sitting in the Dallas Neiman's cafe as their guest, using my best manners, and dining on fine lunch cuisine full of new tastes like kiwi.

It is so meaningful to get the generations together. My grandmother has always been a whirling force of nature. She hums, she warbles and she throws her head back with a wide mouth of laughter as often as she can find the opportunity to do so (even if it's just a camera pointed in her direction) Now the light is quite literally fading from her eyes as macular degeneration robs her of her eye sight. She is still Dulce inside, and I chuckled as she shared a little of her spunky spirit with Al. We'd just eaten some Chipotle food that was sprinkled with very picante sauce. He was washing up, and she sauntered over, leaned in and said with a little pop of the hand on his upper arm for emphasis, "I like it spicy, you know" Somehow the "it" there had more of an innuendo than just food. Yep, she has always had a zest for life and an appreciation for a handsome man around the house. She starts many sentences with "now listen, honey, I want to tell you something" and can melt my name into taffy sweet goo "sssssstephuhnieeeeeeeeeee" like noone else.

They both reminisced about childhood in Brazil. The house was always full of students; their mother taking on a multitude of projects -- saving souls, educating youths, translating hymnals, performing as a concert pianist, oh, and raising a half dozen kids of her own. They love to share their memories of the beach, sleeping in a hammock during the dry season on what is now a condo-lined, bustling tourist attraction. Grandma Dulce's imagination ran wild as she gazed through the swaying palms at the stars each night and made up dreamy fantasies of pure stardust. No doubt this was the genesis of how brightly she shines.

These two were taken by my dad Saturday at the club

Here's a great photo of a very alert Evelyn, snapped by my dad at the dinner table last night. And to the right, Graham as he went out the door this morning for church: