Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Every night I help Granma get ready for bed.  It's a ritual. After she's all washed up I leave her to wipe off  the bathroom sink.  I anxious waiting for her, so I peeked into the bathroom to see what she was doing.  She was looking at herself in the mirror and primping.  I watched as she licked the tip of her ring finger and brought it up to her brow then with the finest of strokes smoothed it outward. .....She doesn't have any eyebrows.

I wonder what she sees when she looks in the mirror.  Does she see herself as a younger woman?

My other granma, who is 99 years old says, "It's just a habit."

Just a habit?

I watched my Granma as she looked at herself in the mirror.............It makes me wonder.

Same Pictures, Different Day

Granma Marcie has lots of photo albums, lots of boxes filled with pictures, postcards, newspaper clippings.  Everyday she sits in her room and looks at pictures.

One day she seemed a bit restless so I asked if she'd like to look at pictures.  She said, "No I looked at them yesterday."  I pulled out an old box and said, "This is a new one."  She was delighted.  She sat down in her rocking chair and spent at least an hour going through the old photos. 

The pictures weren't new......she'd gone through that box a hundred times before......

Beading with Granma Marcie

I think Granma would sit in front of the T.V. all day long.  I don't like that. I didn't let Becky sit in front of the T.V. all day long when she was growing up.....in fact I think I limited the amount of T.V. she watched.  I know I monitored what she watched.  So I'm thinking....to sit in front of the T.V. all day long...... for anyone, no matter how old they are......or young......isn't a good thing.  I know for a fact it isn't a good thing!

When she first came to us, I would read to her at meal times.  One day I asked her if she would like me to read to her, and she said "NO"  So now I only read a short devotion.  Lately,  I've been leaving the devotional on the table and after she eats her breakfast, she sits there and reads it for an hour sometimes an hour and a half.  That amazes me and I am grateful.  But then what?  More T.V.?

So I got the beads out and we started to make a necklace. She picked  a bead and I would thread it onto the string. I'm not sure if she liked that little activity.   If I had to guess.......I'd guess "Nope, she didn't like it"  But bless her heart.......she did it anyway.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANMA

Today is Granma's birthday.  She's 103 years old.  This morning as I was helping her get dressed I said, "It's your birthday today."  She smiled a big smile and said "You mean today is October 23rd?"  Yep!  Happy Birthday Granma!  She started singing the "Happy Birthday" song.  So I joined in and we sang it together.   I asked her how old she was. She said she was 24.  I looked at her with a goofy weird look and started to laugh.  She laughed too.   I said, "So you'are 24 today huh?" Then she said, "I'm to old to talk about it".  To old to talk about how old you are?  Why Granma.....you're 103 today! That's Amazing!

My dad came by today.  He came to take Granma out for a while.  He leaned close to her ear and wished her happy birthday.  She smiled and said "mmmmmhhhhmmm"  He asked her hold old she was and she told him, "I'm 73"  It's all Good!

GRANMA AND THE DOCTOR

I took Granma to the doctor the other day.   As we were waiting in the examining room.....mostly in silence....... all of a sudden.......as if  God had opened up the flood gates of heaven........Granma beaks out into song.   "I've A Story To Tell To The Nations", "Shall We Gather At The River" and "When We All Get To Heaven".  It was fun and really  made the  time fly by.

When the doctor was done poking and prodding, Granma looked him square in the eyes and put her crooked pointer finger in his face and said, "Who takes care of you?"  To which the doctor did not reply.  He excused himself from the room and as he was walking out the door.........Granma reached out and  patted him on the butt.  He didn't flinch, squeek, squeal, turn around.......nothing......he just walked out closing the door behind him.   That was it..........  There you have it..........  Done and Dusted...........The exam was over, medicines prescribed........................Ladies and Gentlemen........The Doctor has left the room.     Maybe he didn't like our singing?

The Walker and The Hot Stove

Granma Marcie has a walker.  Sometimes she uses it and sometimes she doesn't.   I want her to use it alllllllllll the time........ in fact I insist she use it alllllllllllll the time .  Insisting to Granma,  in her own words is, "bossing her around", and she doesn't like to be bossed around.  I don't blame her....who likes to be bossed?
But.......I still insist she use the walker alllllllllll the time.  There's a good reason I insist.......we have a wood stove.  The stove is our only source of heat, therefore, it stays hot most of the time. And, the stove is next to the path Granma travels a million times every day.  So I think.......that if I keep on her about using the walker, she'll get the idea, and use the walker allllllll the time.

"So I Think"  I can tell you right now......I don't think like she thinks.  Who knows how a 102 year old Granma thinks?  I'll be the first to tell you, if you try to figure it out......you'll make yourself crazy and the Granma crazier.  Not that's she's crazy, but........she does have dementia.  Now that should be a BIG CLUE.  She has dementia.......... Hmmmmmm........  Can you teach a 102 year old Granma something new if she has dementia?  I'll answer that question later.

So here's the story:  I'm not feeling my 100% joyful, happy self.  I want to stay home.  I don't want to do to much of anything, I don't even want to do Granma Marcie.  Let's face it......I'm cranky, not in a good mood, and not very tolerant.

I was sitting in the living room and I heard a shuffle, shuffle, scuff, scuff.......I looked up and there "she" was......no walker and  reaching for the wood stove for balance. I jumped up and  I screamed at her, "Don't touch the stove!!!!!!!" but of course it was to late.  Her hand lay fully extended on top of the stove.  She looked at me like I was "Looney Tunes"  and I screamed at her again, "Don't touch the stove!!!!!! Don't ever touch the stove!!!!!"  By this time we were face to face and again I screamed at her, "Don't you ever, ever, ever touch the stove!!!!!!!!"  and she answered back, "Why? It isn't hot" and she touches it again.  I kept on screaming. :(      and then she got mad........ touched the stove again,  and said, "I have enough sense to know when it's hot"
 I went to get the walker and told her, "Use your walker alllllllll the time!!!!!!" Then I left the room.

I should have been so thankful that the stove wasn't hot, but instead I was angry that she wasn't using her walker, irritable, cranky and scared that she touched the stove.

Some time later that familiar sound........  shuffle, shuffle, scuff, scuff..........then.........what's that I hear? roll, roll, roll, roll? ................She's using the walker! Yes a 102 year old Granma can learn new things!    

 She came into the room sat down in her chair and said, "I'm sorry I got angry with you"

 I went to her, knelt down,  I put my head in her lap and said, "I'm the one who should be apologizing" and started crying.

Crying?.......... Because, God showed me His love through my Granma.  God showed me that even though I  knew I should be the one to apologize, I should have gone to her......she came to me.  She came to me!!!!!

What she did was amazing to me. What God did through her was truly amazing!   My icy heart melted. I saw my own sin and was humbled. Through my 102 year old Granma, God showed His amazing Love.

Trouble comes when I think I'm in control.  God showed me the futility of it all by sending my 102 year old Granma with forgiveness I did not deserve.

 Forgiveness I did not deserve.  Isn't that what Christ did?  He came offering forgiveness that we do not deserve.

 Granma is still obedient to God's Voice and He, God....... is still using her!

Psalms 143:8
  Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, 
       for I have put my trust in you. 
       Show me the way I should go, 
       for to you I lift up my soul

Lavender

I harvested my lavender today. Wonder what I'm gonna do with all that lavender?

The Babysitter

Last night at dinner I told Granma that we were going to babysit on Friday.  She wanted to know "Who's going to babysit.....you or me?"  I said, "You of course."  She nodded and smiled.  She said she could babysit.....after all....."I like kids"  So off we went.

Any way you look at it........the way to the front door is steep.

 We made into the house and were warmly greeted by four of the most love-li-est children I have ever known.


I was a little worried about what Granma would do for the few hours we were there babysitting.  But not to worry........she watched cartoons with the kids.


I said we were warmly greeted by 4 children......the other two......were downstairs playing video games of course.

I love these kids!