Preserving the Newness

Grandparents (or let's just say it - "Old People"!) are always trying to preserve something, it seems. Food or memories - it's all the same. I was thinking about this as I picked up a piece of newly framed artwork this lovely spring evening.

The "artwork" is a modpodged puzzle - a winter project worked on diligently by Grandma and 3 eager grandchildren, with the occasional assist from Grandpa or another family member. Behind the glass frame, a fun-loving panda peers out of some tasty-looking bamboo shoots. Pasted on the completed puzzle are the carefully cut-out photos of our happy faces as we worked on the puzzle. Memories preserved.

This finished product marks the completion of the 3rd such masterpiece. The first, Tigger and Piglet shows G... Read More

The Faith of the Faithful

There have been so many thoughts in my head since last week as well as an ache in my heart. There is no one like a grandfather or a grandmother. When I think about my grandparents from both sides of my family, I only remember the best things about them. The qualities and the character they possessed or possess is a true testimony of the reality of genuine faith that is tangible and real!

Last week I received a phone call from my mother that my Pa Pa had been admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure. He has been ill for several years due to a string of strokes he has suffered. Over time his memory has just been dissolving and my grandmother (Ma Ma) has been his sole caretaker, bathing him and dressing him almost as if he were a child again. I admire her strength a... Read More

The Princess and The Papa

My Dad is a tough guy. He wears Black and Decker underwear and buys pallets of toilet paper from the Army-Navy store. He watches sports on television every Sunday afternoon, even if it’s only putt-putt season, and turns the sound all the way down so that the sportscasting guys don’t ruin a beautiful play with color drivel.

He can estimate distance to an eighteenth of an inch and can tell whether a picture is half a bubble off plumb just by squeezing one eye shut and looking through his thumb. He survived the Depression on beans and biscuits; World War II on courage and luck; and 48 years of marriage on Divine Providence and guesswork. He taught four children to drive without suffering permanent neurological damage, made us wear more clothes when we were cold, and refused ... Read More

Growing old is not for sissies

During the many discussions of the healthcare crisis I rarely hear mentioned the real causes of the massive budget shortfalls: too many people need healthcare too often and for too long a time. Tens of millions of people, starting in early or middle adulthood, have to visit their doctors every 6 months to get one or several expensive prescriptions for conditions (like high blood pressure and cholesterol) which could be more easily, cheaply and safely controlled/prevented by healthy diets and lifestyles.
This story does not have a happy ending. Eventually those pills are no longer effective and pill takers need hospitalization and expensive rescue care, such as kidney dialysis, heart surgery, organ transplants, chemotherapy and lung ventilators. All these medical miracles are doled o... Read More

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She is so lonely!

The other day I went over to my grandmother's house to help her around the house. When I was done with the work we sat down and just talked. Time flew and I had to get home for dinner, so I kissed her goodbye and drove home. On the way home I was thinking about my other grandmother, who is in a nursing home because she had a stroke. My dad takes time out of his week to go see her on Fridays. Then the thought occurred me, what is the difference between the two.We tend to not think about one grandmother while regularly visiting the other. I realized that both of them need the same attention as the other. Just because she is capable of living on her own does not mean she doesn't need someone to spend time with her... Read More

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Inexpensive Summer Fun

I'd love to hear ideas for fun summer outings or activites to do with my grandchildren - that are memorable in their simplicity. Any thoughts?... Read More

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