Chronicles of Nana

Last Tuesday was a good day…I got up earlier than I ever wanted and trudged out into the very crisp morning weather to accompany my six year old grandaughter to school. It was Grandparent’s day!! So, there we were a bunch of gray hairs assembled in the gym for rolls and drink listening to the Dean of the school giving praise to Nanas and Grandads for the stability they offer to the children…

FOLLOWING THE CHILDREN…

Now, that’s a good start of an unusual day…We spent the next 4 hours following the children to their daily classes. We participated in creating a poster for the hallway display. We went to music and were blown away at how the children have already been introduced to pitch, tone and note reading. Sweet little voices practicing their selections for the big Christmas/winter program next month.

FREE SPIRITS…

We then went to dance class which was delightful. There is nothing better than to see the free expression of children when they interpret their feelings to music. However, the best moment was creating a Thanksgiving story and then the children danced to the word sentences they created. Something about a wild turkey dressed in a princess costume who had to fight the force field with a light sabre….go figure.

Grandparents were invited to join in with the creative dance. And there I was in the wheelchair twirling my grandaughter around in the chair. Later a little boy came up to me and said,” You broke your leg, huh?” I said I sure did and we laughed…

I am so glad this school believes in the arts and that so much is done to allow the students to freely be expressive and real. I have never seen so many smiles and exhuberant faces filled with confidence and glee….for children that is how life should be!

Grandad missed the dancing because he had to get back to work. Too bad, because we had a nice lunch and then braved the Disney Store Outlet. As the day progressed all the planets were postioned just right and I happened to hear from all my adult children in one day…that was a good thing!

As nightime dawned  we found the ultimate gift for someone…

My grandaughter was invited for a sleepover at her cousin’s…

And Grandad was invited to sing at a very special event that happens to be on his next birthday in March…

And I learned how to put a picture on my blog…

Like I said it was a good day…these kind of days don’t happen nearly as often as they should nowadays..

Don’t you agree…?

We braved the wee hours of shopping and once again survived. Needless to say I am an ole’ zombie Nana right now. The last few nights I have not slept well and last night was no exception. So, when my daughter crept in and shook me awake I nearky jumped out of my skin,,,

BARGAIN THRILLS…

Out the door at 3:30am we drove to the first store with eager anticipation. JC Penney for our annual free Mickey snow globe. No one was awake yet so it was rather tame. Our next visit was to Walmart, We got there too early but they let us in anyway. We had to stand behind plastic rope barriers half way into this new store. I was in my wheelchair so I hung back anyway. Suddenly we heard a great comotion around the electronic and toy sections. Shopping carts abandoned and a giant swam of humanity decended the depths of TVs, Cd’s and playstations. It was scary…

I went to the front of the store and hid next to the kid’s play room,..no one would dare eliminate and ole’ Nana there…this was my grandson’s (age 18) first adventure to the dark kingdom of Black Friday. He and his Aunt emerged victorious stomping out of the fight that ensure with their treasures. Faces were flushed and eyes glazed over!s

Now, we have never gone after the big ticket items..we always figured they are sold before the stores open anyway. But I saw many 50″ TV’s trekking out from the checkstands. Everything else followed!

BOY, WERE THEY WRONG…

Last night’s news report said that locally about 70 % were not shopping this early this year. NOT…They came in droves with stuffed wallets.

REFUELING… 

As dawn began to peer over the mountains we sat bleary eyed for breakfast. The rest of our family met with us to share the meal at a calm and quiet local restaurant.. Our 18 year old comented that all the crazies where out and I warned him that you don’t mess with mothers on the hunt…

On the other hand, camping out at Best Buy were the men with their hot chocolate, lattes and pup tents. Some had been there since Wednesday night and missed Thanksgiving all together.

That my friends, is plain nuts!!

OH, i picked those up at Shopko….

Well..are you going to take the plunge..? I mean are you going to take your chances for finding golden treasures on Black Friday..? The economy sucks and your wallet empty? Are you crazy enough to go..?

COUNT ME AMONG THEM…

Yeah, those who know me, know that I don’t have both oars in the water. Close to ten years now I have been among the crazies who after a workout in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Thursday get myself up at 4am in freezing weather to buck the crowds on Black Friday.

THE SPIRIT ….

It has become a tradition that my two daughters and I call it a “girls day out” each year. We all know there are fabulous buys at this time…but in all the years we never found the perfect gift for a great price. We do alot of watching…peoples everywhere!

There are the normal (?) crazies, the competitive types, and those that really need a break in pricing in order to give Christmas to their kids. The lines to enter the deep discounters go clear around the block. There are those who clearly have a plan with ads in hand, lists, walkie talky’s and cell phone ready to go…

A FAMILY HUNT…

Families organize with a plan for each member to hit an area in the store where bargains hide. Some I am told go inspect the store before the “big day” to scout out the locations of various products. I have even been told that some crafty shoppers tuck or hide their selections ahead of time so they can find them when the clock strikes…OPEN! No…………yeap, you can’t keep a true champion bargain hunter down!

SLEEPLESS…

Now, you may ask why would someone loose sleep over Black Friday? I mean getting up in the middle of the night in freezing cold to stand in line and be trampled by the determined crowd is not my idea of fun…but, in reality it becomes sort of a tradition. It’s like a great day at the races and the people watching is fabulous!

This year my daughters plan to initiate my grandad who has never experienced this trek into the finer art of Black Friday shopping/grabbing. I’ve see the glee on their faces…like the Grinch who stole Christmas dinner…

REALISTIC SHOPPING…

As the wise ole’ Nana that I am, I have done most of my shopping online. The UPS guy and I have become personal friends. So, as in years past I will sit in my wheelchair and watch the zoo past by. I will try to stay out of people”s way and grab a non-discript thing or two. But, I will not have a eye to putt kick the guy next to me…I am old enough to choose my battles!

When it gets to be about 9am and the car is full of fabulous stuff we don’t need, we go to breakfast. We may hit a few stores on the way home and eventually hit the bed for a nap and later leftovers.

Saturday, after Black Friday, we usually get the Christmas tree. I think we are about the last who still gets a live cut tree. Although I press the family into considering the after Christmas sales on artifical trees, I have not been very convincing. Traditions die hard…

This year we started decorating our home early. In remembrance of our dear one whom we lost last January…we dedicated his birthday as a day of Christmas joy. So, since Nov 16 we have let the lights shine much to the glee of his 6 year old little girl.

I have done the bulk of my shopping early due to my physical condition of late. I, like everyone, have cut down my purchases. We are hoping to get Christmas concert tickets and the Church Devotional tickets have already arrived. Christmas never becomes real until the choir sings…

Shopping nearly complete perhaps I will get back to baking and candy making.  I hope more than anything that we can keep the reason for the season utmost in our mind…

We should show more gratitude and thanks!

Hug your families and neighbors…it’s a good thing and it’s free!

                                           

                                        TO EVERYONE EVERYWHERE…

                                            HAPPY THANKSGIVING

                                REMEMBER TO HUG THE ONES YOU LOVE

TO MY DEAR FAMILY; THOUGH MILES SEPARATE US PLEASE KNOW THAT MY THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU AND YOUR DEAR FAMILIES. YOU ARE SUCH A PART OF MY LIFE AND YOU ARE DEEPLY EMBEDDED IN MY HEART.  MY GRATITUDE FOR HAVING YOUR LOVE CANNOT BE MEASURED. THANKS AND HUGS,

                                             MOM AND NANA

                                       THIS WEEK YOU’RE HAVING ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!

                                                  HURRAH TO DEVEN!!

                                        DON’T SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE FOOT

                                                   AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!

                                                   lOVE TO YOU AND HUGS,

                                                                NANA

Since I never had the privilege to visit my Grandma’s house at Thanksgiving as a child I did not have the opportunity to share in the homey smells and conversations and relationships of this happy event. It was not until I joined Grandad’s family that the experience became made known to me…

OVER THE HILLS…

Over the hills and through the woods to Grandma’s house we go…well, it was just across town actually. Grandma was a double sided lady. She was modern in the sense of working outside the home. When it was customary for women to be stay at home moms she put to use her education and became a darn good elementary school teacher. She was beloved by her students through out all the years.

But, when Thanksgiving came around it was traditional old fashioned fare all the way. Most in the family traveled to her house to spend the wekend and eat the feast. Grandad and I were newly married, young and poor. Struggling students we did not have the means to build a feast of our own so we were grateful to sit at the kids table at Grandma’s. We gathered up our babies and spent much of the day keeping chaos from erupting with all the little ones.

SMOKIN’ HOT…

Grandma liked a warm(hot) house…The front windows to the small house wouid fog up and our eldest child enjoyed making pictures in the steam. Grandma had a small kitchen that opened into a small dining area so on this special occasion there would be 2 or 3 banquet tables set up into the livingroom.

THE VELVET GLOVED GENERAL…

She was the one in charge and she would give out jobs to do to her sisters who spent most the morning in the kitchen. The men would convene to a spot of leisure awaiting their portion of the feast. They made important conversation and usually solved all the world’s problems by feast’s time. Grandpa did manage to find a spot in the kitchen to concoct some sort of punch usually with pomogrates in it. He grew them himself and was quite proud of that.

The feast would be placed upon the tables…the usual grand affair. It would be late afternoon and by that time everyone was more than hungry. I always appreciated Grandma’s dinner rolls, always homemade with a recipe she could not write down because it was all in her head…

FEASTIN’…

The feast would begin with a family prayer, not just a blessing on the food. For the little ones it was the longest part of the day…we could hear many a tummy growl. And yes, there was a children’s table and oft times even though Grandad and were a married couple we sat with the children…what can I say, you make do.

At feast’s end, as the conversations ebbed and satisfaction set in, the table would be cleared. The men ajourned to the lazyboys and the ladies started the tedious clean up. Before clean up was completed someone would call from outside to gather for picture taking. That is why through out all the years you will see photographs of the men with the round bellies and the women still with aprons on…

A KIDS WORLD…

The children would do their own thing…since the TV was in the livingroom no one watched unless the men decided to take interest in a football game. Oft times there would be as many children as adults at the feast and they always seemed to find the large backyard and dream up plenty of activities to keep them busy. At all these holidays the basketball would constantly be heard bouncing off the walls…

Dessert pies came later. Once eaten the evening saw alot of well satisfied people being lulled to sleep by the warm(hot) air that circulated about the room. We would steal away with sleepy kids in tow to our little house on Crawford Street across town.

So many conversations we could not remember them all. Brothers and sisters, Grandparents and children all speaking at the same time. So much so that when you left the quiet stupified the mind. As a young married couple we did get lost in the crowd…

But, in retrospect I am missing those days…a time now long gone…

Too bad, you missed out!

Thanksgiving Day is a good day to be grateful…we need more days like this.  I find each Sunday as I go to worship a kind, benevolant Heavenly Father I become more grateful…so it has become a weekly time of extreme gratitude for me.

WHO AM I?…

I surely do not have all the answers of the universe but I find solace in believing in a power greater than myself. Who am I and where am I going has become important to me. In the grand scheme of things I seek a reason for my existence. I seek a hope for a continuing life beyond my death and the redemptive nature of forgiveness…

ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS…

Why is it that we find saying “I”m sorry” so hard to say? Why are we so quick to react or say things that bring pain and hurt feelings? And so slow to say we are sorry for doing and saying them? Why is that?

PRIDE?…

There are people who let “whatever” fall out of their faces who expect others to blow the offense off. However, eventually such offenses result in that person being left alone to face his offenses by himself…Whereas, a simply said “I”m sorry” would renew a relationship to flourish again.

FREE AGENCY…

I think we all are an independent sort. We have our free agency to response and act or react as we wish. Oft time we do not think that consequences come with the actions we take and choose. Kindness in words and deeds never seems to leave hurt. “I’m sorry” is an acknowledgement of our own imperfections…our humaness…

During my health confinement I have had to say “I’m sorry” more times than I care to admit. Clearly, I needed the help of others. I apologized for the inconvenience I was to others and truthfully, I would dissolve into tears of frustration. I needed to learn to accept the service of others..and that ain’t easy…

AN ETERNAL LESSON…

It is hard to admit we need others but isn’t that one of the eternal lessons we should learn? One does not know true humility until one is forced to FEEL it… it is an uncomfortable feeling but none the less neccessary.

Saying “I’m sorry” is just a few words that can only lift the spirit of others..shouldn’t we use it more often? The burden and weight it can take off our own heart can be uplifting as well. It is liberating to forgive…and be forgiven!

if there is something amiss in your relationships perhaps a simple “I’m sorry” may help it heal…

Mom always said ..”if there is nothing nice to say, it is probably best unsaid.”

Dang, Mom was always right!

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and even I can find a few things for which I should be grateful. As an ole’ Nana I am glad I am still breathing and that the oxygen machine is but a few yards away! It has been a sucky year…the good part is that the economy shows it…

Life…

In January several lives in my family changed dramatically. We lost a loved one who was too young to die…and we have been trying to live with that reality ever since. I have found myself reaching back to fond memories of happier times but the sting of reality seems to shock me back to what is. And what is…is not what I supposed at this time in my life…

THE STRUGGLE…

Although we have rolled with the punches, we have struggled mightily with the grief and loneliness. I have a grieving daughter who has lost her soulmate and she fights daily to live her life with a smile because she has a six year old daughter to raise. My caboose child, although an adult, is struggling right now…

THE HOLIDAYS…

Passing through the holidays will present a challenge for her. She feels at loose ends as if her life is blowing in the wind. Unless you have lost your mate, no one can comprehend the depth of the hole it leaves. So, you reach each day with a determination to make it the best it can be…and sometimes you loose it all together. That’s okay..but those of us who try to understand just can’t. I wish I could turn the page for her….

MY TRIAL…

As for me, I had been living with an unknown broken leg for over a year. In July of this year it broke in two as I lay upon the front porch of my house. Since the leg surgery I have been struggling with trying to walk again. I have accumulated a few toys, a wheelchair, a walker, a cane and a fancy scooter. I have also given the family my share of medical costs, complaints and crying jags over my plight…

In retrospect the body is an amazing machine. It has been nearly five months and I can walk freely but not very gracefully. I still have trouble with the stairs and my body strength sucks big time. The steel rod in my leg sometimes feels like a broom handle and I have been very grateful for the extended toilet seat!!

Confinement has been hard on me. Relaying on my family to be there for me at the most humbling moments have been difficult to handle. When you have no other choice creates a mirrored moment of humility. The awful pain I was suffering for so many months is gone. I am left with discomfort, inconvenience and the knowledge that nothing will ever be the same…not even me.

HOPE…

Still…regardless of the trials and adversity I appreciate tomorrow. I will continue to be a playmate to my grandaughter…I will try to lift and listen to my grieving daughter and I will try even harder to be a pain in the ass to the rest of my family until it’s over…

The alternative sucks…would you not agree?

Dearest Mike,

Your birthday is a celebration for us..we have now created a new family tradition for your little family. The Christmas tree is lit and the outdoor lights are shining in your honor. Your family will have a birthday feast and we will come for a visit to leave flowers…

We so greatly miss you, it has been a difficult year. We know we will meet again someday and rejoice when that time comes so we can put our loving arms about you and express our deepest love.

Your daughter has made you a cake with Mommy’s help. You would be so pleased to see her now. She has grown so tall and she is beautiful. We see so much of you in her…that winning smile that goes from ear to ear. There are times when she speaks that so sounds like you. She is doing very well in school. I am amazed that she is being taught cursive, times tables and she reads great. I love to see her write, she writes like the words sound, I will be sad when she learns the correct spelling. For a first grader she out shines them all!

She has taken your passing better than the rest of us. I am always amazed with the child like innocence that gives great faith. She teaches me alot. I miss seeing her wrapped up into your arms. I miss your quiet way and calming influence upon her.

Your are not only my son-in-law but a true friend. I will watch over your dear family until that day when we will meet again.

Happy Birthday and I love you,

Mom

My body is not happy today…it is complaining big time. Yesterday my daughter and I went early Christmas shopping. Now be kind to me… I have not been shopping for a very long time. For one, Grandad hates to shop…when we go to Costco on Saturday mornings we get there at store’s opening and five minutes later…heading home!

WONDERFUL DAY…

So, it was a pleasure going out and spending the entire day…spending. We did find some batgains. Mervyn’s is going out of business with 30% off. I still am not steady on my feet so we loaded up the wheelchair and luckily there were not the typical crowds at these kind of things…the closer Christmas becomes the harder it will be for me to get around…

It was nice seeing the shops all decked out…even Santa’s station is set up. We loaded the car with our treasures, then went to lunch with our free coupon in hand. We went to a fairly nice restauant and with that coupon it was the price of fast food only a lot tastier. But the real bargains were had last night when all the girls went shopping.

A FEW OF THEIR FAVORITE THINGS…

We walked the local mall and ended up at a favorite shop of the girls. For one day only they were having a 70% off sale on women’s clothing. If we bring a friend it is another 50% off!! We all became each other’s friend real fast. I had fun watching my girls load themselves up with pants, shirts and sweaters.

It reminded me of years ago when our little town had it’s annual shoe sale. I sat there watching them have great fun. My caboose daughter just took everything off the rack that was her size and bought it…14 pieces of clothing for 60 dollars.

HOW TO SAVE WHEN SPENDING…

When we got home, Grandad was already asleep. One of my daughter’s added up the savings and it came to over 400 dollars. She was very pleased with herself…whata’ bargain!

Now that’s the way to shop…especially for yourself! I did have fun and I did drop when we got home…I couldn’t convince them to put their booty under the tree!