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| My Grandmother |
My grandmother celebrated her 91st
birthday yesterday. She totally rocked it! She grew up in the South
during the Great Depression, raised by a widowed mother with a house
full of children. In her early teens, she fell in love and married
my grandfather. They worked the family farm together until he passed
away in 2007. She was a widow after 68 years of marriage.
My grandmother is interspersed
throughout my childhood memories. If there was a child, there was a
chore to be completed! I am an expert dishwasher because of her! By
her side, I learned how to milk a cow, to churn butter, to make grape
jelly, and to plant a garden. I loved sitting with her on her front
porch shelling peas and beans during the summer.
My grandmother is a fabulous cook! Her
homemade biscuits with honey and a glass of sweet tea makes a tummy
ache quickly disappear! Her chicken and dumplings are delicious, and
her squash pie is THE BEST EVER! I will fight anyone over the last
slice of that pie, and I will win! Unfortunately, I was too busy
washing dishes to learn how to cook from her! Well, except that I make a wicked squash pie if I do say so myself!
In my early adulthood, I rebelled at
the life my grandmother wanted for me. She wanted all her
granddaughters to be married at 18 or soon after so that our husbands
would take care and provide for us. I wanted to take care of myself.
She wanted me to live close by. I wanted to explore the world. My
grandmother wanted me to have the life that she knew and that was
comfortable to her. I wanted the life that I dreamed about. As I
lived my true life, her views evolved. When others commented
negatively to her that I wasn't married, she began telling them that
she didn't worry about me as I could take care of myself. When
discussing the possibility of marriage recently, my grandmother surprised me
by saying that it doesn't matter if Ben and I ever get married, as
long as we are in love and are committed to each other. She said
that we should get married if that's what we want to do, but not
because others expect it of us.
My grandmother and I have become even
closer since my mother and grandfather died. She is the
mother-figure in my life. I call her when I need comfort and prayer.
I call her when I need advice. Below are two major life lessons that
I have learned from her that I wanted to share.
- It is better to laugh than cry.
Life
may be difficult, but you feel better if you laugh. She learned this
from her mother when she was growing up in the Great Depression. I love seeing her
with Ben because the two of them never stop laughing! During her
birthday call, I told her that she needed to tell Ben to stop
tickling me. Her response: Tickling is good for the soul!
- Believe
My grandmother is both religious and
spiritual. She is a firm believer in the power of prayer. It is not
unusual to hear her speaking in tongues when she feels led by God and
for healing to occur. I pray, but when you add my grandmother's
prayers to mine, it's like electricity fills the air. She definitely
taps into positive energy and sends it flowing to the person in need.
I tell her that she has a hotline to God!
