Thank You Gma

I spent some time with my gma this weekend.  This the woman that has basically made me the woman that I am today.  Plus she allowed me to just be myself as a kid.  I got to pretend, play dress up (she had a great dancing wardrobe), sew, and run around outside.  Overall, it was a pretty awesome childhood.

My coworker and I were talking this week about who taught us to sew.  I told her the story of sitting at the sewing machine saying my ABC’s & 123’s as a kid.  Good think I didn’t injure myself.  There was also a good chance I was rocking back in the kitchen chair too, a BIG NO-NO. 

My gma is 96, my mom was an oops when my she was 45.  I have uncles that are close to age of my dad’s parents.  She is very traditional and a sweet loving woman.  I had the hardest time understanding with I wasn’t a “GREAT” grandkid when all the other kids were my age. 

Unfortunately at 96 memories fade, the body isn’t what it used to be, the mind doesn’t put it all together.  Up until about August 2009 she was sharp, just physically slowed down.  Someone asked me the other day how she was and this was my response:

“My gma is not the woman that everyone once knew.  She is not strong, stubborn, and free willed anymore.  She is now a frail old woman.”

I can say that because I have watched her become that and it is not what she wants.  That’s not the way I remember her.  I remember her as the woman that let me be creative and express myself.  Guide me through life to become a great woman.  Give me life lessons that only she could. 

It’s harder to go see her know.  I used to really look forward to it.  Now it just breaks my heart.  Here is a photo of her at my wedding.  She sometimes doesn’t know she was there.  But she LOVES anything I create her and will talk about it for weeks. 

Bad smiles from the Bride and Groom, but our faces hurt by this point.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  Call a loved one and tell them how much they mean to you.  I’m looking forward to the next time I can give my gma a hug.  My generation tends to forget about the very important people in their lives and focuses instead on themselves a bit too much.