Great Role Models

I have two great role models in my grandparents. Today is their 53rd wedding anniversary. 53 years… I’m sure they’ve gone through headaches, heartaches and more “discussions” than they’d care to admit but they’ve stuck together. What a testament to love.

I hope someday when I tell the woman I want to marry that I’ll be with her through thick and thin, I’ll be able to follow their example of what it takes to weather life and all the tribulations that come along with it. I can’t wait for that day to eventually happen.

I had a very special conversation with my grandfather whose birthday is also today. Sometimes talking to him chokes me up. I value his mentoring over the years and love him dearly. He doesn’t say much but when he does, you know its with his wisdom and his heart.

My grandmother took care of me, my sister and our cousins with all of the energy should could muster. Taking care of all of us wasn’t easy. If you’re looking for religious inspiration, look her way. She truly believes faithfully.

So on this special day for them, I send them my love and thanks for all they’ve done for me through the years. They’ve help mold me into who I am.

My Grandmother’s Blog Fodder

My grandmother cracks me up. When I call my mother and she’s with my grandmother, I normally get passed to her. I love talking to her. She does say somethings that make me wonder, specifically when she passes along obit information on someone I don’t even know.

Here’s the conversation:
Me: Hi Grandma,
Her: How are you doing (calls me by my middle name)
Me: Fine, I’m rockin’ it out (I say such things to keep things interesting)
Her: Do you remember Glenda Jones (name changed — I’ll stop with the parentheses already –I can’t believe I spelled that word correctly)
Me: No
Her: Yes, you do. They lived next to us when your mother was growing up.
Me: Grandma, I wasn’t alive when my mom was growing up so how would I know them. Did they still live next door when I was a kid?
Her: No, they moved away when your mother was in high school.
Me: Well, did they visit after moving away?
Her: No, but they had that dog that would always bark all night long, your grandfather hated it but would never say anything.
Me: Yeah, grandpa’s that kind of person, never to stir up trouble.
Her: No, he doesn’t but that dog would really drive him crazy. But the Jones family were nice people. I wish they hadn’t moved away.
Me: So what’s with Glenda, this person, I don’t know.
Her: She died yesterday.
Me: Well, I’m sorry to hear that. Thanks for brightening up my day.

The funny thing is apparently this is a grandmother thing because I was just talking to someone the other day and they say the same thing happened to them.

(some of the conversation has been changed, exaggerated and enhanced for humor for the sake of this blog. a similar conversation, i assure you, has happened at least 5 times. now i just say “Did he/she die” at the beginning of the conversation)