A Grandmother's Wisdom

My Grandmother

 My grandmother celebrated her 91^st 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.

1. 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!

2. 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!