My Great-Grandma turned 101 years old this week and as of this morning, with the arrival of a new baby in the family, she's now a GREAT-GREAT-GREAT Grandma. I know that most people are separated from family during quarantines and increased safety rules, and my family is no exception. We would have loved to be there together to share the day with her. Her frail hands have played the piano for 95 years. She has knitted hundreds of afghans for babies and lap blankets for injured veterans. And now that she's nearly blind with gnarled painful fingers, for the past three months her comfort has come in simple things like phone calls, letters in LARGE PRINT, from window visits with handprints on the windows, and memories of holding velvety bunnies like Oreo. Her senior center is now allowing residents out of their rooms again and she said she is taking much pleasure in eating dinner with others, an opportunity to plink away at the hall piano, and just a stroll to the BINGO game tonight. A year ago we all met up to celebrate her special day and to give her the only present she's ever asked of me: wearing my scout uniform as an Eagle Scout. This year, I completed the final edits on my published memoire which is being released this spring, 120 days from now (but who's counting) and I'm so pleased that it brought her so much joy as I've read her excerpts, including some of her quotes that drove me to keep moving ahead.
I am so blessed to also have FOUR living Grandparents! And lots of older bunnies that remind me to cherish the days together... I know that there is an arbitrary day in September called Grandparents Day, but with so many unable to share the holidays together, I just wanted to challenge you to find a way to spend any time at all, doing anything at all, and just be together in any way at all. And for those who have an empty seat at the dinner table, just feel the extra warm hug coming your way.
Hope you will join me to take the time to reflect on your blessings...
Wishing you and your family a hoppy thanksgiving!
And if you dare, here's a new VERY corny Thanksgiving song, that will be guaranteed stuck in your head. Check out this link. Remember I warned you.