Favorite Memory, Favorite Gift…
Ninety-three candles on a birthday cake could resemble a flaming pincushion. So we opted instead for the symbolic “nine and three” combination for Grandma this time…
Ninety-three. Remarkable. She was born in 1915 (Grandma and I do the math on a regular basis); and to the surprise of us both, it all added up to 93 years on Sunday… Her past few years have included some unscheduled challenges but she remains a lovely highlight in any day. Especially a “birth” day…
The “wish list” of a care center resident is pared down to essentials that might include visits and phone calls, photos, breath mints, and flowers to brighten the compact space. These details say, “I love you”: the core need of us all. But one of Grandma’s favorite gifts, and the one I most love to give to her, is one of the cherished memories that slip like faint dreams from her grasp. The following excerpt includes one of Grandma’s treasures:
“But she asked about Grandpa… I gave her my favorite memory from one of those final days. Of that moment in a late anonymous afternoon when Grandpa had looked up at her from his chair in the living room as she’d bustled by, her grief generating a constant momentum. “Mary,” he said with a mix of thankfulness and longing, “I’d be adrift without you…” His eyes sought the soul of his love, my grandma. She squeezed his knee and hugged him, perhaps seeing momentarily, a glimpse of her protector, lover, and life-long best friend. And I froze the moment within my heart, knowing it to be sacred.”
It’s like a favorite bedtime story. Somehow landing in both “fresh” and “familiar” at the same time. Her eyes widen with recognition, her heart leaps across her face, and she reminds me, “He was such a good man.” And I agree. And tell her how very much I love her.
It was a good birthday.
Lily is our first family dog and my own “first dog” as well. In my youth, I certainly begged for my share of puppies and kittens but ended up with turtles and baby sisters.
of dog ownership. I received e-mails on the advantages and disadvantages of specific breeds and links to amazing stories of doggy heroics. All accompanied by air-brushed photos of winsome canines, of course…
It still took meeting a particular dog, Lily, to take the plunge however. Lily’s owner had succumbed to cancer and his widow hoped to place the two-year old puppy in an active home. With three kids and an outdoor-oriented lifestyle, our family qualified in an almost excessive way.
lazy stretch into June and beyond, even as I’m calculating how to juggle the necessities of my work and the needs of my children.
