Day 15: Jam-packed JOY

I shoved about as much joy into about four hours as humanly possible today!  This entire day has been go...go...go...but much good has come out of it.

Fridays are my short day.  Squeezing in everything before 4 pm, when Noah goes to work, isn't always easy.  Just as summer has come to a close, we've almost mastered it.

Today's game plan was to head out the moment I got off work.  Noah set no less than 10 alarms to ensure he would up and ready.  (Lord, help us come August!)  There were a couple of stops we needed to make, of course lunch, and a surprise visit to my Grandma at the hospital.

My joy started with Bible study at my sweet friend's house.  God has spoken to me to so many times since I've began going weekly.  We're on our third or fourth study and, of all the ones I've done in my life, this is by far one of the most profound.  I promise I'm not getting a percentage of the profits, as much as I recommend it.  But if you're looking for one - "Not a Fan" is an amazing choice!

As much as it blesses me, the relationships and friendships with the women are an added and sometimes unexpected joy for this introvert.  After the study this morning, I stood in the driveway, with the scorching sun baring down on us, sharing prayer needs and concerns with one of the ladies.  Jumping into into the cooling comfort of my car, God instantly began to ease our worries with a song.

So often He sends us messages of encouragement, if we'll just slow down to listen.

Picking up Noah a few hours later, I switched seats and settled into the passenger/navigator role.  This momma is having a hard time knowing I have less than two weeks to be his ride-along buddy.  Please pray for me (but mostly my boy) as he'll be licensed by month's end.  Every moment we're together in the car is a blessing and I don't take any of the time with him for granted.

Part of our drive was spent sharing lessons I hope he'll retain when mom is no longer in the car with him.  As his eyes began to glaze over and attention shifted, the radio became a friendly distraction.  We share a love for an eclectic mix of music.  Today he surprised me by asking me to look up and play a song on YouTube.

Never would I have guessed he would know who Carly Simon was to request "You're so Vain."  He even had a funny story to share about the song.  And that sent me down memory lane, so DJ Heather began busting out old tunes to see if he recognized any.  It was proud moment to hear him singing along with many of my choices.

With only a few Fridays left, I decided to splurge and take him to Red Lobster today.  It was Crabfest, which is one of his favorite seafoods.  His meal was more than double mine and I have no clue where he put all that food but it was a joy watching him eat.

Our last stop was a visit to my Grandma, who is recovering at the hospital from a recent fall.  She was asleep when we walked in so we gently tiptoed over to the window.  It wasn't long before she began to rustle and Noah met her at the bed.

"Well you're a tall drink of water." she smiled.

Though our stay was brief I'm glad they got to see each other.  She told him several times how proud she was of him, especially after he apologized for having to get to work.

"You've grown into a fine young man," she whispered.

Watching his giant frame bend to hug her small and frail one was precious.  I wish my heart could share a photo of what was seen and felt.

(Prayers are appreciated for her and my aunt as well.  They are rushing her home, way earlier than any of us are prepared for and I worry about her recovery.  She has a long road ahead, as does her daughter who will be primary caregiver.)

Dropping him to work, I ran my last set of errands and picked up our newly personalized mugs.  If you're looking for a knockoff version of Yeti, Walmart is the place to go.  My drink stays just as cold without the fancy name on the side.  Besides, I like my logo better anyway.

Day 7: Grandma Giggles

It is a pure blessing to still have Grandma in my life.  She turned 87 this past May.

this was her 85th surprise party

I've always looked up to her, although I surpassed her in height while still in grade school.  Of all the things she taught me, the most important has been her example of faith.  She is among my biggest Christian role models.  And there is no doubt the prayers she has said for me helped shape who I am today.

One of the strongest ladies I know, though to look at her she often seems frail or fragile.  I guess in some ways she is, as she's currently in the hospital for a fracture on her back.  Stubbornly she sat on the injury for a full day before letting my aunt take her to be checked.

Today she was moved to transitional care and fitted for a back brace.  I was able to go see her and while her spirits were high, it pained me to see her in that condition.

Of course our family is one of many jokesters, so the room was full of laughter, despite the situation.  And like the trooper she is, Grandma kept up with the banter.  She even had the nurses tickled with her wise cracks.  Each one that came in had nothing but nice things to say about her, no surprise to us.  Although Grandma joked she was paying them to say those compliments.

I don't see her as often as I would like due to our busy schedules and that saddens me.  There was a time when I had lunch with her almost daily, as I worked in the same town.  She fed me through college and was a home base while I commuted back and forth for nearly 20 years.

While I would have preferred a better reason for our get together, any time spent with Grandma (and my crazy Aunt Becky) is always a joy.

I'll close today with some of my favorite posts about her...

Grandma's Couch

Grandma's House

Grandma's Place

Cinco de Gma

Easter at Gma's

Please continue to pray for quick healing for her.  

She's looking at "several weeks" in TCU and potentially a few months in her brace.  

We've promised to bedazzle it for her though.  ;)

My Grandma

My Grandma's voice has gotten frailer over the past few years, an indication of her age and failing health.  While hearing her on the phone, my heart see-saws between loving the connection and listening to her sweet familiar sound to worrying about her in the shakiness of the tone.  She gave me quite a scare today as I could tell at her answer she wasn't feeling well.

I actually had already grown more than a little worried, as I'd tried several times over the weekend to reach her unsuccessfully.  Not driving anymore, Grandma doesn't get out like she used to.  Knowing what I do now, I should've followed through a little more but I didn't want to see her door knocked down again. 

Grandma's suffered several strokes over the years and her strength is not at all what it used to be.  She's hesitant when walking and has had a few falls over the past year.  As such, I think many of us in the family are on guard.  My Dad tried to reach her one day and upon not being able to, called the police who knocked down her back door.  She had only gone shopping with her daughter and was fine but ticked she had to replace a perfectly good door.  Another day I had tried calling, knowing she should be home but was getting a busy signal for hours.  She snapped my brother's head off when he arrived to check on her, as he'd woke her up.  She was fine again, just didn't replace the phone on the headset all the way.

This Friday though she actually did take a fall in her laundry room and had to crawl to the phone for help.  The thought of my 82 year old Grandma doing this, breaks my heart.  The fact that she spent the weekend in the hospital and I didn't find out until today when I called makes this normally joyful gal, not so much so.  (insert family lectures here)  At any rate, I'll feel much better when we get some sort of system installed that allows her to call for help at the touch of a button.  I've pushed her toward this before, as well as a walker and some other assistance, but she stubbornly refused.  Guess I'm gonna have to show her that trait passed down to me too and not take no for an answer this time!

She's just very special to me and while I know none of us have a guarantee of our next days, I want to have her in my life as long as possible.  I certainly don't want to see her hurt or suffer, especially from something simple like a fall.  I love her and value the time we spend together.  There's nothing better than being with her and visiting Grandma's House.

Today I'm thankful for still having my precious Grandma with me. I love hearing her frail but sweet voice on the other end of the line when I call and even better spending time with her. I treasure the role model she's been to me growing up and the difference she's made in my life.

Love you Grandma Coons!

To Grandma's House We Go...

Noah will be spending the next few days with my Grandma and family (aka Aunt Becky).  They've been wanting him to stay all summer and the days just got away from us.  As this is his last official week off, we decided it was now or never!

Last night while we were packing, I remembered the many trips made to Grandma's as a child.  My visits were much more frequent than just a few days in the summer though.  I spent just about every other weekend and a large chunk of my summers there, alternating with both sets of my grandparents.  Looking back, I know what a blessing it was to have all four grandparents in my life, throughout my childhood, and to have them so involved in upbringing.  I was fortunate to be raised by a village of family!

Noah and I fell asleep last night reliving some of my fond memories and continued the conversation on the way to dropping him off this morning.  Since Grandma Coons is my last living grandparent, and who Noah is staying with, I'll focus on her and some of my favorite memories for this post...

The Couch

My Grandma has had the same couch for 30 years.  No joke.  The funny thing is, it gets better and more comfortable with age, yet looks as nice as it did when she first bought it.  (actually she's somehow managed to have many of her original appliances too...things just aren't made the way they used to be!) 

Anyway, I love sleeping on that couch, whether it be for a nap or at night.  Growing up, we were offered multiple choices - from the upstairs loft, to bunk beds in the spare bedroom, to even sleeping alongside Grandma.  My favorite was the couch, because it was cozy to me.  Grandma had a special way of tucking in a sheet around the cushions and then sandwiching you between before placing her afghan, from the back of the couch, over you.  (yawn!)  Such sweet, sweet memories! 

Noah shares in my enthusiasm for this couch as on his last visit
(just a day trip),

he spent 90% of the time on it...asleep!

Harvey

I don't really remember how or why this tradition started, but growing up we were told an invisible 6 foot rabbit lived upstairs, named Harvey.  Harvey was always watching us, and while a friendly rabbit, he would come downstairs to correct any inappropriate behavior. 
He was mostly used to get us to eat our food. 

Well, actually to get my little sister to eat; I've never had an appetite problem!  More than anything he was waiting to snatch up our vegetables, unless we scarfed them down first.  Through the years poor Harvey remained in the loft, never truly getting to come down and join us at the table, but he sure helped several generations eat their veggies!

Chinese Checkers

My Grandma is a pro at Chinese Checkers. 

I have many fond memories gathered at the table with her, playing this game. 

She's taught us all well but must've never revealed all her secrets. 

Maybe she invented the game, I don't know. 

I just know she can't be beaten. 

Prayers

Perhaps my favorite and most treasured memories include the many prayers said by and with my Grandma.  In fact, it is through her example that I learned to pray and have both a love and need for it.  At Grandma's house, you pray at every meal, in the evening during devotion, and before bed...and any other time deemed necessary!  She truly "trained us in the way we should go," teaching simple verses based on our age.  Grandma took me from "Now I lay me" to the honored task of saying grace at family gatherings,

even though two pastors shared the room. 

Her faith and love for God has always shone through in everything she does. 

It is who she is and one of things I love most about her. 

Laced in prayer...My Grandma.