my grandma#2

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMAN'S DAY !!  Let all the women out there be celebrated!!  The idea for this blog, again-thanks mom, came from my mom.  Oh, before I start I have to thank and celebrate all the women in my life, past and present.  My mom who has been my supporter and advocate for 40+ years.  My sister who has developed over the years into more than a sister, my friend and confidant as well.  My step-mother who kept fighting against my sister and I, not outwardly of course, to be part of our family, even though we didn't make it easy at all.  “Dad, I’m not hungary for...” (whatever Ronni made for dinner that night which was I’m sure delicious)  “are you sure?  Just try a bite and then if you don’t like it you don’t have to finish but you have to eat something.”  “I don’t want to.”  “Fine, do you want me to make you a grilled cheese?”  “I guess...”  Or how about when your soon to be step-daughter “just happens (it had to be an accident, I don’t think I had the gaul to do this purposefully) to put several BAD AND VERY NOTICABLE runs in her pantyhose ON THE DAY OF THE WEDDING!  I could go on and on with aunts, grandparents, teachers, and women friends who have made a difference in my life.  I also have to mention my best friend over here, Jezreel, who has helped me tremendously.  You have shown me a different side of friendship and I have much to learn!  Ok, today’s blog is about my maternal grandmother, Helen.  When my great-grandmother was pregnant with Helen she was in an accident and thrown from the buggy she was riding in.  Because of that my grandma never walked without a limp and was never able to bend the pointer finger of her left(?) hand.  But when you live on a farm, it doesn’t matter how fast you walk or how slow, how strong you are or how weak; the work has to get done!  Story time:  years after college I decided to go back to Goshen for the weekend for a visit.  I stayed with my grandparents and met up with some friends one night and we stayed out a little later than bedtime for my grandparents.  I called  and told them I would be late.  When I got in the main door to the house was locked (she must have locked it out of habit and forgot I needed to get in) so I curled up on an old sofa they had out in their entry room and tried to get some sleep.   The next morning I wake up to (somewhat) familiar sound.  There was my grandma walking on the treadmill!  I’m not sure if it was more for exercise or physical therapy.  I mentioned last year that my grandma did handpainted cards to help her finger agility.  Towards the end of her life, obviously as is the case in just about all deaths, there was a decline in some of her abilities; her abiliy to eat by herself, dress herself, and walk by herself.  BUT my grandma was still using a squishy ball to help with her finger agility/movement.  So when she passed away my mom was given her squishy balls and passed them on to my sister and I.  My sister took here into the delivery room with her when she gave birth to her kids.  I brought mine here to B with me.  It is a symbol of strength and that “never give up” attitude my family is famous for.  Just the other day I gave my ball away.  I gave it to a young person who is having a hard time here for many reasons.  I told this person to take care of it for me and think of my grandma whenever he/she looks at it.  Think about how she was struggling to eat, to walk, and had to depend on others to take her to the bathroom.  BUT YET she did her exercises, day after day, to keep her hand and finger strength up!  She didn’t give up, not even when it seemed like everything was against her.  Now I don’t know if this person understood the whole story or not; sometimes even when a person understands things in English the meaning isn’t quite the same.  Either way I feel good about giving it to another person and I know my grandma would too.  Now...the ONE THING I thought for certain would be the same (ok I hadn’t really thought about it but I think the fact that I didn’t think about it being any different means that I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be different) when I closed out my service here in B and returned to my life in the states was that PEYTON MANNING WOULD BE THE STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS!  Yesterday was truely a sad day for the Colts organization and myself.  I read a comment someone posted saying that “if you don’t cry at this press conference you have no soul” and said to myself “that’s silly!  it’s just a press conference with a bunch of reporters and cameras and stuff!”    Ok, who reading this blog actually thought I would NOT cry??  I think it’s safe to say that tissues were moistened; yes, I cried.  Love and hugs from me!