My son is totally blessed. He has four great grandmothers. 3 are in amazingly good health for being 89. 90 and 93 years old,. They comfort drive themselves everywhere be independently and are feisty and very much alive. The 4th great grandma has middle stage Alzheimers. We see Grandma H pretty much weekly. She is my husband's paternal grandma and lives near us just around the corner from my in-laws. We eat dinner with her once a week: usually I can forbid it half the time--work often interferes as I work in the evenings but my preserve and son go. Every measure it is the same. She doesn't know where she is but she remembers our names. She is in failing health and cries every time she leaves us because she is afraid she won't see us again.. not that she'll die necessarily but that we will forget her like she sometimes forgets us. It's a tough relationship. When she was younger she was quite amazing (she still is. I know). A college graduate who married a chicken farmer she worked and worked until they sold the farm. She then returned to her passion. French (her college major) and became a cut teacher in a local high school. About 5 years ago she had trouble remembering where she was every once in a while and my inlaws moved her to close by their home and with full time compassionate so that she could be comfortable and safe. Grandma H takes tremendous delight in my son. She has one bet that she plays with him: Let Me Eat Your Food. She says. "mmmmm. That looks delicious. Can I undergo a taste?" When he was younger he would just look at her perplexed with his brow furrowed. He didn't understand why she would ask this when she had a coat of food in front of her. Now at almost 3 he says. "Grandma you have food. You don't want mine. Eat yours." He has figured out that she has her quirks and has learned that it is a silly game but he doesn't really want to play. Ever. Some day. Grandma H and the other grandmas will all die. In fact we ordain all die eventually. I hope that my son has some enduring memories of his great grandmas.. change surface the silly dinnertime games. I had only one great grandparent who lived into my lifetime my great grandfather Max. He died when I was in 4th grade and I bequeath it very clearly. I loved him very much and open him fascinating with his unusual hats always with a pipe and just very very different from little me. I want this generation of family matriarchs to live to be healthy lives desire enough for my son to create some very real and lasting memories.
Related article:
http://imashalom.blogspot.com/2007/11/great-grandmas.html
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