35yoSeeking... to make grandma proud
Word Count: 491
This is a Grandma appreciation post. At 93 years old (born in 1927!), my grandmother has just about seen it all—depression, war, and now a pandemic! She still lives alone, enjoys yard work, drives during the day, and frankly, has a more active social life than I do.
Grandma birthed nine children, including TWO sets of twins(!). She has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; however, my brother and I are the only ones who live in St. Louis with her. I consider this a wonderful gift, to get so much time with my grandma. We belong to the same church, at which I often lead the singing. She loves to hear me sing and is ridiculously proud of me—but she definitely keeps me humble! I don’t think she even realizes it, but she starts to chuckle if I’m showing off too much rocking a high note or some fancy harmony.
Grandma made a deal with God when my late grandpa’s health began to decline: if God would take him when the time was right, then she would go to church every day. And boy, did God deliver! With so much of our family out of town, the Fourth of July (also Grandpa’s birthday!) and Thanksgiving became our big holidays for everyone to gather in St. Louis. The summer after Grandpa moved into a nursing home (while Grandma was recovering from a fall), he passed quickly and peacefully with his entire family around him. Grandpa and God knew the time was right because everyone was coming in town for his birthday.
My two favorite Grandma stories encapsulate her perfectly. The first is when she went to the doctor for her annual physical at around 85 years old. The doctor told her that, based on her current health, she could theoretically live until 105—to which she exclaimed in exasperation, “No! I hope a bus runs me over way before then!” Grandma is ready to go whenever, and there is a beautiful freedom and blessing in having lived a life so long and fulfilling. Don’t get me wrong, she loves celebrating her family—especially weddings and new great-grandbabies—but it’s all gravy at this point.
While it has not been explicitly stated, I do know that Grandma would love to see me get married before she goes—and not just because it’s what she wants for me, but because she knows it’s what I want it for myself. This leads to my other favorite Grandma story. At my younger brother’s rehearsal dinner last summer, I happened to be sitting next to the priest and across from my grandma—so I had a front-row seat when she asked the poor priest to pray for me to find a husband! I’m not even kidding. And honestly, I wasn’t even mad about it—heck, I’ll take all the help and prayers I can get! And something tells me my grandma’s prayers just might be magic.
