I have been so very blessed to have grown up with both sets of grandparents. I was lucky enough to live only a few miles from my mom's parents so spent a lot of time with them. My grandparents are the most special people and are truly the pillars of our amazing, strong, fun family and have set a great example of how to live a full life with values and to respect everyone around you.
Last week my grandma, the still vibrant, active, quick-witted 84 year old suffered a stroke. She was very fortunate that it was fairly minor (in comparison to several other patients in her ward at the hospital). She's had her ups and downs and as of most recently - up! She can walk, talk and is still just as sharp as ever. She has lost use of her left arm but as of yesterday could wiggle a few fingers. We are definitely hoping for further recovery of her mobility.
**Just a side note to share her still quick witted mind, as she was sitting in a chair one day and my aunt was curling her hair, her non-mobile left arm slipped off to the side. As she was reaching over trying to grab a hold of it with her right hand, she was saying 'You get back here'!**
I was blessed to get to spend some time with grandma in the hospital. That afternoon she was very tired and was not having one of her best days. She mostly slept and I spent quite a bit of time just looking at my amazing Grandma that I love so much! I can remember her saying one day that if she's ever in the hospital, to just play with her hair. She loves it. At one point, as I was stroking her hair to help her get back to sleep, I had a weepy moment. Just thinking about her strength, her love, her understanding, her compassion and her never ending giving to all those around her. Now, in this moment, it was her turn to let someone give to her.
I came across this on a website with the posting 'The Matriarch Grandmother' by Russel Mosley and thought it was ever so fitting. She will always be the Matriarch Grandmother in our family.
The matriarch grandmother has been the glue and support of the family structure for thousands of years. Her strength exist in her ability to bring clarity to the challenges and blessings encountered by her family. She is often a silent leader. Bypassing the opportunity to pass judgment on those that have chosen to perform less than she would expect of them. Instead she offers them love and guidance during those times most needed. Encouraging the quality efforts of those that have chosen to lead their life in way that honors her expectations.
She is a proud grandmother, that will do anything for her family.
She has faith in the ability of her family to achieve greatness. Though the world may sometimes offer a difference in opinion, to her the world has no control over the ability of her family to prosper when they are joined together as one. The challenges of the world are minimized at her kitchen table. Her meals bring refuge in a way that only her family and friends have had the benefit to appreciate. Through her recipes, the sun shines brighter, the birds sing louder and the flowers bloom quicker. Even in these amazing feats, the effects of her love can still not be measured.
Through her love she shares her wisdom on such topics as finance, relationships, health and faith in a way that brings joy and hope into the lives of her family.
From her meeting place, the kitchen table, she prepares more than just meals. She shares the wisdom of life as it has always been, still is and always will be. She creates an atmosphere that makes you wish that time could both, stand still and rewind in an instance.
When you visit this matriarch grandmother, her arms are always opened wide, her smile is always shining bright and her love is always flowing. Though she will not always be physically present in our lives, what she has taught us will never die.
For many of us that have become great leaders in our lives, she was our first example of how leadership can effect another persons life.
What a blessing it has been to be a grandchild of a matriarch grandmother.
1 comment:
My grandma is also currently in the hospital after an elective back surgery to try to correct some pinched off nerves that were giving her some trouble with walking and standing. The hardest thing for me also was to see her in pain in the hospital bed looking so small and old (yes, it finally hit me how old she actually is) - it really touches on human mortality, because in our everyday lives when we look at our aging grandparents/parents they always seem the same - like they will be as they are to us in the present, forever. A jolt to our lives like yours Jody and mine, although hard and never wished for, makes us much more appreciative, and may be each of our grandmas way of saying - "Never take ANYTHING for granted....". Love you and my thoughts are with you, your family and, of course, your grandma!
Jessica
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