My Grandma

Today is one of those days where I have lots of different ideas for blog posts tumbling around in my head (which I know makes it sound like there's plenty of room up there). As much as I know that the purpose of this blog is for me to write about infertility, it also does me good to be able to write about other things. Today I'd like to tell you a little bit about my grandma. I am very fortunate to be in my 30s and have both of my grandmothers sill living. A few months ago we experienced the loss of one of Chuck's grandmothers, which you may remember happened around Thanksgiving. I'm overdue for a post about her too, so that will be coming soon.

Unfortunately, I didn't really grow up having close relationships with my grandparents. My mom was extremely close to her grandparents, but not so much her own parents. Mom tells me all the time that she learned everything she knows about homemaking from two special women: her Granny and her (ex) mother-in-law. Mom always felt a connection to my Grandma Mary, my dad's mom. Now, you might recall that my parents have been divorced for about 25 years. Still, Mom always gives credit to Grandma Mary for teaching her so much. They still occasionally talk on the phone, and sometimes Mom will go visit Grandma with me. It always warms my heart that she still calls her "Mom."

Grandma Mary and I have developed a closer relationship as I've gotten older. We never talked on the phone when I was younger and I only saw her when my sister and I would have to go visit our dad, which were always stressful times. It has been great to really get to know her better over the last few years. Really it started when I began researching my family history a few years ago. I started calling her regularly to help me fill in some information, and I guess you could say we became friends.

My grandma is a tough woman. She has been a widow for longer than I've been alive. After she and my grandfather divorced, she was remarried for several years before her second husband died. She lived on her own ever since and has always been very independent. Her life has taught her to be strong. She is not exactly a fragile old woman like you might imagine! (In fact, none of the women in my family are like that.) She was just telling me on the phone last night that someone asked her, "Ms. Mary, who does your work for you?" She replied, "Well, nobody. I do it myself." Her cooking is out of this world. For a delicious, old-fashioned Cajun meal, you'd need to look no further than her kitchen. Grandma keeps an immaculate house. It's not fancy, but it sure is clean. She still drives, cooks, cleans, and plants flowers. Up until a couple of years ago she was doing all of her yard work but I think she has some help with that now. She always asks me how my flowers are doing, and she updates me on hers each season. My favorite thing about her, though, is that she is funny. Every time we talk on the phone she has me in stitches. Usually when we talk it is late at night. Like me, my grandma is a night owl. She is usually up until midnight or later, watching TV or playing cards (solitaire, of course).

I love all of her unique expressions. Grandma doesn't grab something, she "catches" it. She doesn't turn the TV off, she "puts it out." Usually on my birthday she will call and sing "Happy Birthday" to me in the cutest little Cajun accent. When she called last night, she greeted me in French and was surprised when I answered her correctly in French. I told her I remembered a few things from French class!

There is so much I appreciate about my grandma as we both get older. Last August she turned 91, and I realize that I don't have very much time left with her. I've only talked to her once since I last saw her at Christmas during our trip home to Louisiana, and that just isn't enough. I'm disappointed that I've let being busy get in the way of keeping in touch as much as I should. I want to be sure to treasure each minute that we do have left.