Granny's on my mind today--

As I sit here trying to get back into the groove of working and not really wanting to, I am reflecting over the past few days. I am so glad that everything went smoothly. I know that for my grandmother and aunt,(the only surviving child), things are going to get rough in the following weeks. When you pray remember these names, "Granny Lois and Aunt Sissy." Yes, we grandchildren will miss Paw. We will remember him fondly, and we will have our share of burdens in the days to come. But as you know if you've visited here very long, our trials have served to strengthen us considerably. And it's up to us stronger ones to carry the weaker. Granny's been married to Paw nearly 68 years. There's not many women who can match that record. They were an unusual couple that's for sure. And she is lost without him.

My Granny Lois is the one who bought me my first pair of high heels. She had me walk probably a mile across town to meet her at the store on her lunch break to get them. Oh, I thought I was it when I started wearing those heels and makeup. She loves shoes. Remember those shoes they called "Candies," I believe it was? And Jellies? And Yo-Yo-s...if you remember those, then you're as old as I am or older. She introduced all those to us girls.

I always liked to get in her bathroom and ramble through her cosmetics. My granny's Dad was a old-timey Baptist deacon, and he would never let them wear makeup. But as long as I have been alive, my Granny hasn't been in public without it. Up until recently she kept her hair dyed, and seeing her without it has really emphasized how she is getting on in years. As long as I can remember, there's been a big tub of Pond's cold cream on her bathroom counter. And a roll of Rolaids in her pocketbook. Along with who knows what else. If you had an ailment, Granny had a pill for it. I think she believes Nyquil will cure anything. LOL.

Another thing she loves is her jeans. Oh, "Them is the most comfortable things they ever came out with," she would say. That, and her velour tops. Remember those? Well, as far as she's concerned, they will never be out of style. She's like me, cold-natured. So picture my lil granny...in her stone washed jeans, long-sleeved velour top, sweater over that...costume broach pinned at the bosom, little white tennis shoes (the kind that wal-mart has carried for years, you know, the soft cotton ones with no arch.) And usually a necklace of some kind on. She either lost or broke her newest glasses, so she's pulled out an old red/brown tortoise shell like horn-rimmed pair to wear. But my, she's precious.

I wish I hadn't been so backward as a child and stayed more with them. I wish I had gotten all of her stories down, and I might just do that on a future visit. She has such funny stories to tell sometimes. I've heard them over and over. She's starting to get them a bit confused, though. And strange things are happening around the house, she says. Things are moved or missing. She can't find things. People are playing pranks on her or prowlers are taking things. Voices awaken her at night, sometimes familiar, sometimes not. It's just a matter of time before we will make those rough decisions yet again. I know that she is experiencing a lot of the same symptoms my father-in-law with Alzheimer's has. Senility must be such a confusing state to be in. One moment in the present, clear as a bell, and the next in the past 50 years back. And all we can do is love them and care for them. And nod and smile as they relive those years once again. Nod and smile. And pray.

Thanks for stopping by and for your prayers and support and indulging me as I share a little bit of my family with you.