eighty

what could you do in eighty years? have three children? and be a grandmother to six and a great grandmother to two? be married for sixty years? be a loyal friend, mother, grandmother, aunt and sister? could you be instrumental for change? could you support the things you believe in with your time and effort and money? could you teach others to stand up for themselves, about the history of the Bible, about why it's so important that you are always true? could you instill a love of your own self, an appreciation for talent, and teach ladies the proper way to set up a hospitality table? could you receive formal praise from the girl scouts, the kappa deltas and the methodist church for your work and financial support? could you show others how crucial it is that you are close to your family? could you teach people to shop like you have lots of money but pay as little as possible for your purchases? could you impress the importance of giving whatever you can? of eating the leftovers and tailoring clothes and making due? could you survive knee replacements and strokes where they thought you wouldn't recover and huge tumor removals along with all the scrapes and owies that come with living? could you endure sadness and illness and grief and still bring a smile to others faces? could you make people love you by being yourself?

if you're this lady, you could.

on saturday my granny turned eighty years old. EIGHTY years old. folks, that's old. and I can assure you she isn't upset that I'm calling her old. :) I wouldn't call her my hero or my idol (in my mind that needs to be someone you haven't actually known all your life--someone whose accomplishments are on an even grander scale--mine is marie curie by the way), but she surely is an inspiration! And I love her very much. It makes me smile just to hear her voice, and I am SO thankful for the fact that she's not just my grandmother, she is also my friend!

my mom told me that my granny's home was a revolving door of deliveries and visitors--at LEAST seven floral arrangements, plus her daughter's visiting, plus phone call after phone call, a brunch with family and a deelish chocolate cake. clearly I'm not the only one who thinks she's so amazing. :)

come to think of it, there are so many times with her I treasure, and I am so glad for each of them, and the ones yet to be--the bible study she held just so renee and jessica and I could hang out, the trips to chicago for the 4th when I was little, and to family reunions as I grew, and to dc when I was 15--I was SO upset in the 5th grade when it seemed like everyone went on the dc trip but anna and me, but then we went and we didn't just see dc--we saw broadway and went to the rainbow room and to philadelphia to see the bell and have philly cheese steak and saw the ruby slippers and rode in a limo and my oh my! she has afforded me so many opportunities, she was so insistent that I look at many colleges (and interesting tibdit, she REALLY wanted me to go to drury even though she's a TU alum!), she and my granddaddy gave anna and me my first car and she taught me to shop at ross dress for less. :)

and most important to me, when I was initiated she attended the initiation, and since we're both kd's from the same chapter, she gave me my pin. I still wear it today. I was SO surprised to see her there, and even more floored to get to have her pin. I can't believe my granddaddy let her splurge on that (or that she was able to talk him into it!) and I am so proud to wear it.

I'm sure there are a hundred others--these were just the first to come to mind! so yay for birthdays. especially big ones! and if you're lucky enough to have any of your grandparents still living (my granny is the last) I encourage you to give 'em a call to say hello. :)