I just spoke with my grandma. She's my hero. If you know me, you probably already know that.
AnnaBelle. Named after both her grandmothers. She has a way of laughing through tears. She also has a way of telling a story through the laughter. I've heard her do this my entire life, so I understand everything she says. To the untrained ear, which is most of my family, they just hear laughter!
(Unfortunately for them, I do the same thing...laugh & talk at the same time...which makes the 'story not so funny'...sorry!)
Grandma & I always have so much fun, whether we're together physically, on the phone, or through our letters (snail mail; I don't think she's ever been around a computer!) She doesn't write much any more....I only write a 'real pen & ink letter' once in a while, to accompany the occasional card to her.
She moved almost 2,000 miles away from me when I was in 8th grade. She & I were close before she left, so the 'move' was especially hard for both of us. She also moved away from her parents, and her siblings (she is the oldest of 6).
But, it had to 'be'. Jobs. Health. The other 1/2 of their family lived 'there', as well, so she & my grandpa could be closer to them. While I understood all these things...I just missed her.
She was very creative. She kept up with my sister & I even over the miles, before cell phones, skype and internet...and did a great job of remaining close to all of us!
I would consider her a master seamstress. She instilled & encouraged a love for fabric in me at a very young age...that carries through to this day! She & I could spend hours looking at pattern books, and 'lines', of garments, and then spend even more hours touching & imagining & planning fabric. Her love for fabric & thread & texture are amazing gifts for her imagination. She taught me a lot before she left, but even through the miles, she continued to teach me what she could. Even now, when I talk to her by phone, she'll give me little 'garment tips'. Now, the only sewing she does, is to occasionally hem a pair of pants for a friend.
The thing I love the most about her is her attitude. She's trusted God through everything she's faced.
Devastating health issues with my grandpa, left them forced to move from our area; but, looking back, the move was a complete blessing for their lives.
She lost both of her parents, and grieved for them 'far' away from home & her siblings. She trusted God.
She grieved the end of my parent's marriage...and eventually the death of my dad, her son. Later on, she & grandpa came to my house, spent an entire month to help us through the loss of our little daughter.
A couple of years later, I watched, as she cared for my grandpa to the end of his life on this earth. His death was so hard, they'd been married for about 68 years, her entire adult life. A little later, when the grief was so overwhelming, she moved to assisted living, leaving everything behind that had been her 'life' for about 30 years.
Never, never did her faith wane. Never, never did she allow the circumstances of this life to make her question God's faithfulness to her and to her family. She always looked for the good, the blessing, and because of her faith, she found it! We would cry together, and then in a few minutes, we'd be laughing at the memories. She would end the conversation with a 'good memory' of the person or time, that we were mourning.
Yes, she's taught me a lot about life, living well, and trusting an almighty, faithful God! I'm thankful to have had her as a part of my life this long...
This probably would have been more appropriate for Mother's Day, or Grandparent's Day...but today seemed to fit for me...she was just on the phone with me. She was excited because they are remodeling the dining room where she lives, and they were going to get to eat lunch in there for the first time today.
My sister and I are driving my car out to see her. We leave in 7 days. She's so excited. There's a lilt in her voice I haven't heard for a while...she told me, "I haven't felt this good in a long time." The truth is, she has something to look forward to: our visit! She's always loved having her 'bunch' around! Each one is so precious to her. Even now, she can't always remember 'all their names'...but she loves them just the same.
I'm afraid I haven't done her 'justice' in writing such a short entry about her. I haven't even talked about her marriage to my grandpa. Or the way she is with her friends. Or the way she can rebuke in love, without being harsh (this one I have not mastered, yet, unfortunately)
I could write a book about the things she's taught me. Once, I wrote down one words of wisdom she's given me over the years. Some are so practical, some are hilarious...but most line up with Proverbs...amazing how that works!
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Friday, June 4, 2010
Sunday, December 13, 2009
It's Beginning to Look a LOT like Christmas!
Christmas season.
This one has been difficult for me...if you've had an 'in person' conversation with me, this isn't 'news'! It's true, I've been whining a lot during the past couple of weeks. For that, I'm really sorry. And, if you've listened to my lament, please accept my apologies!
As always, things are 'going to be OK'! And, I do mean OK!!
The tree is up, presents are bought & wrapped...decorations are 'up'...dining room table is 'set'! I decided at the last minute to put out the Santas we used to collect and display every Christmas. They came out and livened up the family room nicely. I've forgotten how much I love having them out! Each face is so different...jolly, happy, smiles! Some are old, to the point of being tacky our older girls say, but each one is special in some way!
The days leading up to December 25 hold a variety of activities, celebrations, moments for remembering, and moments to make new memories...as I think about these opportunities to celebrate the birth of our Savior, I get really excited.
Sure, this year is going to be different in many ways, the biggest is that our immediate family will not be all together on Christmas. This is hard to take, but in my heart of hearts, I know that it is 'as it should be'...
The bottom line is:
This one has been difficult for me...if you've had an 'in person' conversation with me, this isn't 'news'! It's true, I've been whining a lot during the past couple of weeks. For that, I'm really sorry. And, if you've listened to my lament, please accept my apologies!
As always, things are 'going to be OK'! And, I do mean OK!!
The tree is up, presents are bought & wrapped...decorations are 'up'...dining room table is 'set'! I decided at the last minute to put out the Santas we used to collect and display every Christmas. They came out and livened up the family room nicely. I've forgotten how much I love having them out! Each face is so different...jolly, happy, smiles! Some are old, to the point of being tacky our older girls say, but each one is special in some way!
The days leading up to December 25 hold a variety of activities, celebrations, moments for remembering, and moments to make new memories...as I think about these opportunities to celebrate the birth of our Savior, I get really excited.
Sure, this year is going to be different in many ways, the biggest is that our immediate family will not be all together on Christmas. This is hard to take, but in my heart of hearts, I know that it is 'as it should be'...
The bottom line is:
- we are parents of four living children
- this holiday season will eventually be our new normal
- our children will grow in to lives of their own & establish their own traditions
With these in mind, I've decided that I am responsible to make each Christmas a 'good memory' for me and those around me!
Soon enough, Christmas 2009, will be a memory! Lord willing, I want to remember it as a Holiday that God blessed our family with health, and a time that we were able to focus on truly celebrating Jesus --Our Savior!
--Salvation and the peace of God, what a gift!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Our Girls. There are SO many of them!
Our girls. There are so many of them...it's just easy to say 'our girls'...but because there truly are SO many of them, I always feel like I should take time to update on each one.
Our oldest is a stay at home mom. She and her husband of 5 years have Will, who is 4, and Ally who will turn 1 in a little over a month. She is a great mom, creative in her approach to parenting, and keeps her family at a high priority in her life. I'm very proud of her!--Alayna.
Our second oldest. Wow, she's a mold-breaker for the most part. Most of the women in our family, including grandmothers, aunts and many cousins were married before age 21. Not her. She's a college graduate, just this past spring, and eager to have a real job...she's busy with an internship right now...16 hours away from us. She's loving being away from our small town, making new friends, and enjoying 'not having home work' for the first time in about 15 years! Some day, her prince will come...or, NOT. Which ever, it's all good. She's an inspiration to me and a source of great laughter. I' very proud of her, as well!--Holly.
Our twins. I should not lump them together as a unit. And, so, forgive me...to separate them:
Our third oldest (by 15 minutes). She has strong convictions for friendships. She loves to laugh. She loves sports, running, swimming, biking, skating, walking and running. One of her most favorite possessions is her i-pod because she loves music. She also likes to watch music videos on YouTube. Did I already say she loves to laugh? She does not like to wear her rubber bands on her braces, as prescribed by her orthodontist! She wants to get a tattoo at some point in her life. She has a great idea for the design. I will not share it here, because, she may change her mind before she's 18, which is how old she'll have to be before she gets one! She's trying really hard in her classes, and has successfully brought her grades up this first nine weeks. I am very proud of the young woman she is becoming!--Madison.
Our fourth oldest (ha). Yes, she's the 'other twin'...Our youngest living child. Takes little seriously, except making lots of friends. She doesn't believe in making fun of people, which I admire. She has very strong convictions about being nice and fair. She's really tender hearted. This girl loves chocolate...and she loves ice cream. She, too loves sports, all of them that she knows about. Her immediate goal about her appearance is to have pink hair. Hilarious! She is trying really hard at school, too...and has brought her grades up significantly in the past 6 weeks, as well. I am very proud of how grown up she's becoming!--Mallory.
Our girls. My hope would be that as they grow up and settle down, they would continue to be close to each other. That their children (eventually, our 'other three girls' could have husbands & children of their own:D) would know each other as family.
So, the question in my mind is: Have we done everything we could have to encourage the girls to be close to each other? To respect & love each other? To listen and share with each other their lives? I guess, some of these questions, I'll never know the answer to..but God's word promises for those who believe, a blessing to the 1000th generation! I want that blessing for the generations that will follow, Lord willing!
Be blessed!
Our oldest is a stay at home mom. She and her husband of 5 years have Will, who is 4, and Ally who will turn 1 in a little over a month. She is a great mom, creative in her approach to parenting, and keeps her family at a high priority in her life. I'm very proud of her!--Alayna.
Our second oldest. Wow, she's a mold-breaker for the most part. Most of the women in our family, including grandmothers, aunts and many cousins were married before age 21. Not her. She's a college graduate, just this past spring, and eager to have a real job...she's busy with an internship right now...16 hours away from us. She's loving being away from our small town, making new friends, and enjoying 'not having home work' for the first time in about 15 years! Some day, her prince will come...or, NOT. Which ever, it's all good. She's an inspiration to me and a source of great laughter. I' very proud of her, as well!--Holly.
Our twins. I should not lump them together as a unit. And, so, forgive me...to separate them:
Our third oldest (by 15 minutes). She has strong convictions for friendships. She loves to laugh. She loves sports, running, swimming, biking, skating, walking and running. One of her most favorite possessions is her i-pod because she loves music. She also likes to watch music videos on YouTube. Did I already say she loves to laugh? She does not like to wear her rubber bands on her braces, as prescribed by her orthodontist! She wants to get a tattoo at some point in her life. She has a great idea for the design. I will not share it here, because, she may change her mind before she's 18, which is how old she'll have to be before she gets one! She's trying really hard in her classes, and has successfully brought her grades up this first nine weeks. I am very proud of the young woman she is becoming!--Madison.
Our fourth oldest (ha). Yes, she's the 'other twin'...Our youngest living child. Takes little seriously, except making lots of friends. She doesn't believe in making fun of people, which I admire. She has very strong convictions about being nice and fair. She's really tender hearted. This girl loves chocolate...and she loves ice cream. She, too loves sports, all of them that she knows about. Her immediate goal about her appearance is to have pink hair. Hilarious! She is trying really hard at school, too...and has brought her grades up significantly in the past 6 weeks, as well. I am very proud of how grown up she's becoming!--Mallory.
Our girls. My hope would be that as they grow up and settle down, they would continue to be close to each other. That their children (eventually, our 'other three girls' could have husbands & children of their own:D) would know each other as family.
So, the question in my mind is: Have we done everything we could have to encourage the girls to be close to each other? To respect & love each other? To listen and share with each other their lives? I guess, some of these questions, I'll never know the answer to..but God's word promises for those who believe, a blessing to the 1000th generation! I want that blessing for the generations that will follow, Lord willing!
Be blessed!
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