Grandma

My mother's mother is a very special and unique person. She is a major part of my life, and always has been. When I was a little girl, the big treat was to get to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house to spend the night. We always got to do fun things. They took us out for ice-cream, Grandpa took us fishing a few times, once we even took the city bus downtown for our own little "tour"...in our PAJAMA's!! That was a lot of fun. I remember driving past the Wonder Bread plant and smelling the fresh baked bread. We also got to do things like try on all her jewelry and paint our nails, or try on makeup. She had these great eyeshadows (green and blue sparkly!) that were liquid in a tube, like lip gloss. Let's not also forget the bright hot pink creme rouge and lipstick to match. Yeah, you're getting the mental picture aren't you? My sister and I would be all dolled up like "ladies of the night"! WE thought we looked AMAZING.

Then there were the times when we would have to go to the nurse and go home sick from school. Grandma would come pick us up and take us home to make soup and give us 7-Up to make us feel better. We'd get to eat in bed, with her special bed trays -- I always LOVED to use those! It had a slot in the side we could put paper and coloring books in. She also had a BELL. You know, one of those like the nice hotels use to call their bell hops? Whenever we needed something, we just hit that bell and Grandma would come see what we needed. It was probably overused, but she never seemed to mind!

Grandpa died when I was 18, of lung cancer. When he died, that left Grandma alone and I couldn't bear to see her by herself. I decided to move in with her and help her as long as she needed me. When I was no longer needed day-in-day-out, I moved in with a friend and she moved closer into town. She just celebrated her 90th birthday! I just have to say, I hope I am this alert and agile at 90 years old someday -- who am I kidding, I just hope to BE 90 years old someday!

Grandma lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment about thirty minutes from where we are. We used to live in the same neighborhood, until last November when we moved. She says, "I feel like you've moved to another town!" She's so funny. Although she lives alone, she still has a lot of needs. For example, she has to have help with her laundry, as the machines in her building are down a huge flight of stairs.

That's what made me start writing about my grandma tonight. I am up finishing her laundry, trying to get it done before tomorrow morning when I take her to the doctor. She recently had a large cyst removed from her scalp and has a follow up appointment. Also, she has a severely degenerative hip and needs to go in for an injection for that. That's one of the reasons she quit doing her own laundry...her hip does not allow for climbing flights of stairs right now, nor does she need to be at her age.

People say they are "sorry" I have to do what I do for my grandmother. I say, "It is a pleasure to give back to her, after all those years she gave herself for me." And it is the God's honest truth.

Kelly