Blessed

September 23 -

Today is my grandmother's birthday.  She is such an incredible inspiration to me.  I wanted to be with her on her birthday this year in particular because just one week ago she had to move her husband of 60 years into a memory care unit.  After losing him in bits in pieces over the last few years, it was difficult to finally acknowledge that the Alzheimer's had progressed to the point that he could no longer live at home (or in fact, know where home is).  During yesterday's visit to him, I marveled that she had the strength to smile as my grandfather looked at her and asked, "Who are you married to?"

Grandmother is a soft-spoken woman, but her example has had a huge impact on me.  So today, in honor of this wonderful woman, I'd like to share some things that my grandmother taught me over the years:

1.  The table should be set for breakfast before going to bed every night.  It's one less thing to worry about in the morning, and a well-laid table sets a positive tone for the rest of the day.

2.  Dishwashers are for sissies.  Real women wash dishes by hand (and rinse in hot water because dishes rinsed in cold water take longer to dry).

3.  House guests should be served coffee with pastries of some sort two or three times a day.

4.  Any animals in the vicinity should and will receive regular meals.

5.  Don't waste time; we're given precious little of it, and we should do something productive with it.

6.  Take time to be quiet.  Activity is just busy work if you don't take time to reflect.

7.  Put others ahead of yourself every time.

8.  Real love requires few words; it is felt in every action.

9.  Seek advise and accept help.  Don't expect others to get you out of a bad situation, but admit when you can't do something on your own.  Accept assistance with grace.

10.  Yes, life is hard.  Yes, it can be sad and painful.  But there is always reason to rejoice.  Hope springs eternal.

I did not give my grandmother a JA Greetings card for her birthday.  Our snarky cards don't really express how much I love and respect her.  I am working on a superwoman card inspired by her, and I hope she (and everyone else) will enjoy it!