My boys and I just returned from a trip to my grandma’s
house. My husband wasn’t able to go with
us so I did all of the driving myself.
It was the first time I have driven that far in 9 years since I was
diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. It
was a long drive that wore me out, but so worth it! It was a milestone for me!
I am so proud to say that I DID IT!!!!
Why did I make the huge effort to go see my grandma now? Well, she hit a milestone of her own and I didn’t want
to miss it! My family planned a surprise
party to celebrate her 90th birthday. Family came from near and far to celebrate
her big day. There were nearly 60 in attendance!
What’s funny is that my grandma didn’t even want to come to
the party. My relatives invited her to a
baptism/christening for one of her great grand kids (to trick her), but she
wasn’t feeling up to it. When I talked
to her a few days before the event, she told me she wasn’t going. She didn’t feel well, she thought the weather
might be bad, she had company visiting her for spring break (or so she
thought), and she didn’t really want to be around a lot of people. I chuckled inside as I listened.
My uncles tried to coax or guilt her into it, but she would
NOT be moved! She said she had a mind of
her own and she didn’t feel like going (later she told me she felt so bad for
being mean to them).
The final straw for her that moved her was when my mom and
sister who were visiting said they weren’t going to go if she didn’t go. Knowing she could be keeping others from something
so seemingly important to her family changed her mind. Reluctantly she agreed to go.
The people packed in the surprise location awaiting her
arrival. The look on her face was
priceless as she entered the room and realized the party was all for her! She was definitely surprised!
90 years alive!!!! That is amazing to me. If I live to be as old as my grandma, my life isn’t even half over. I still have a lot of LIFE to live!
It was so good to reconnect with my family while I was
there. I saw cousins I haven’t seen for
10-15 years. We were all there… the
original bunch. There was a picture
posted at the party from when we were all little surrounded around my aunt who
later passed away. We were asked to
re-create that moment surrounding my grandma.
I happened to be holding my youngest cousin at the time in my arms. I chose to hug her instead in the new
picture.
We gave tons of hugs and took LOTS of pictures to record all of our special memories not knowing when we might see each other again. I took time to give my grandma a lot of special attention. She was so overwhelmed. She kept saying she couldn’t believe it and that it all seemed like a dream. I asked her if she felt loved and appreciated and she said a resounding YES!
As I look over my
life, I feel old. But when I look at my
life
in respect to my
grandma’s I see a FULL life ahead of me with endless possibilities.
Living to leave a legacy,
Julie
