Grandma's Birthday

Well, the years just keep on flying by and here I am with no posts since February, 2011. I have been thinking about a good post to start back up with and today just seemed like a day that something had to be said. May 9th was Grandma's birthday and those of us who were lucky enough to know her can still remember all of the great family get-togethers for birthday parties. Usually, we combined Grandma's birthday with Mother's Day since they always fell so close together. Anyways, due to my technological deficiency, I am unable to scan in any new photos to show so I'm just using this old one. Still, I think it embodies a lot of things that Grandma and I shared. No, not a trash can, haha! We grew up with simple pleasures, not like today when every kid over 5 years old has a computer and several different game systems. For me, the most fun stuff at that age was being outside. (still is, for that matter!) Honestly, it didn't matter what I was doing, I just loved being outdoors. Grandma did too. A day at her house was always fun and exciting...a combination of working in the yard, helping with whatever projects they had going on, running errands, and just spending time with Grandma & Grandpa. Sometimes, on Mondays if I remember correctly, I would get to go with her down to church and hang out with her oil painting class. Once, we were there talking with her good friend, Helen, and Helen brought up that she had an old bicycle she needed to get rid of. Of course, being the bike lover that I was, that struck my curiosity and I started asking about it. Within a few minutes, Grandma and I were on our way to Helen's house to retrieve this bike for me! Yes, it wound up being a woman's bike but that was ok...we still loaded it up so I could take it home and work on it. That's the way Grandma and Grandpa were. It didn't seem like they were ever in too much of a hurry or too stressed out to take time for us little folks. They always made us feel like we were the special ones and just being around them, it was easy to tell that they truly enjoyed spending time with us.

Last week, as I was doing spring cleaning and trying to condense things that I've had boxed up for years, I ran across so many cards and notes from Grandma....even through my freshman year of college, she sent me cards for occasions that many would never even think of mailing a card for. The last time I saw Grandma was in March of 1994 at the nursing home where she was living. I was in town from New Mexico and, although pressed to get to the airport in time, I had to go and see her. Many told me that I shouldn't worry about it and that she didn't usually recognize anyone anyways but I knew I had to go. I remember walking into the large open room, just passed the entry doors and seeing a bunch of wheel chair bound elderly folks sitting around the room. Most just kind of stare off or seem to focus down at the floor, even when a person approaches. As many visitors do, I just kept my head up and looked straight ahead so as not to be stopped on my direct route to Grandma's room. I started to head for the hallway which lead to Grandma's room and out of the corner of my eye, I saw this ladies' head turn and I felt her looking at me intently. I couldn't help but turn towards her and, when I did, our eyes locked and of course, there was Grandma sitting there looking at me like, "Where are you going?" We hugged and I knelt down beside her wheel chair and started talking. You never know whether someone in that situation knows or understands who and what you're telling them about because the conversation is so very often one sided. That was the case here except for two things that happened. First of all, the way Grandma looked at me and locked eyes with me when I was walking in, said it all to me. Whether she could vocalize it or not, she recognized me. Her focused stare and look left no question. I was there for a little while just talking, telling her a story or two, and updating her on what all of us were up to. The second thing that happened while I was yapping was that I made a wise crack about how we were all getting old and Grandma looked at me out of the corner of her eyes, just like she would always do when she knew we were full of crap, and then she smiled and laughed....the kind of quick chuckle relaying the message to me that I was perhaps going crazy. Those two moments, how she pegged me with a look and how, even in that situation, I got her to smile and give me a sly glance, are forever etched in my memory and mean so much to me today. Looking back over my life and the time I was able to spend with my grandparents, there are hundreds of little moments like that, frozen in time inside of my mind. I know that we all have some of these little stories and memories within us and this is how loved ones like Grandma continue to thrive and live today.  Even though Grandma passed away 18 years ago, a large, very important part of her is alive and well within those of us who were blessed to have spent time with her.  To that part, I say Happy 98th birthday, Grandma....thank you for teaching us what it's like to be someone special.