A few blogs ago I mentioned talking with an older lady, she was probably ninety at the time, about figuring out the mysteries of life. That lady is Grandma Ann Landin, and she worked with the Foster Grandparent program here in Superior for at least twenty years, and the last ten of those were with me at the Y. She retired when she was ninety-two, and until today I hadn't seen her in probably a year and a half. Honestly, until about a month ago I didn't even know if she was still with us. I really didn't realize she had turned niney-five already!
Her eyesight isn't what it used to be, and she willingly uses her walker now.......not whipping it around or leaving it behind all together like she used to, but other than that, she was absolutely unchanged. She knew who I was, asked after Sandy Hughitt by her real name, and wanted to know "how that guy is." That would be Teacher Tom. She was fiesty, loud, and laughing about this and that. We fell right back into the old banter that both of us enjoyed for the better part of ten years.
I mentioned on facebook that I had seen her, as a lot of my friends know her too. The comments made me remember so many things, her singing, dancing, and making up names for people, because she couldn't always remember the assistants names. (suzabella coopenheimer is my favorite) She never knicknamed me though, I was always her Teacher Joanie, and she was/is my Grandma. When we parted ways this afternoon and I went to hug her someone said "Look out now, you're in my territory." I looked at him and said "Back off buddy, she's MY Grandma."
When I am an old lady I am going to be just like her. I will be soft enough to be a comfort to others, but snappy enough to make people mind me. I will dance and sing and make up names, because I already do these things, and I enjoy them. I will take joy in the simple pleasures life has to offer, give back to this world, and I will keep my mind and my body busy, just like she does. Heck, up until she was just about ninety she still enjoyed a cold beer every afternoon. She still drove up until about that time too........probably not the best idea. No matter what you needed, Grandma had it in the trunk of her car. I used to joke with her that if she looked hard enough Jimmy Hoffa was probably in there.
She told me that we don't really ever figure out life........ but I think that maybe she has, and she just doesn't know it.
When she was walking away I heard her say to the gal who helps her out, "This was my lucky day! I've thought about her so much." No Grandma, I'm the lucky one. We are shaped by the women who raise us, and even though I was an adult, you definitely had a strong hand in shaping me into the woman I am today. ♥
Her eyesight isn't what it used to be, and she willingly uses her walker now.......not whipping it around or leaving it behind all together like she used to, but other than that, she was absolutely unchanged. She knew who I was, asked after Sandy Hughitt by her real name, and wanted to know "how that guy is." That would be Teacher Tom. She was fiesty, loud, and laughing about this and that. We fell right back into the old banter that both of us enjoyed for the better part of ten years.
I mentioned on facebook that I had seen her, as a lot of my friends know her too. The comments made me remember so many things, her singing, dancing, and making up names for people, because she couldn't always remember the assistants names. (suzabella coopenheimer is my favorite) She never knicknamed me though, I was always her Teacher Joanie, and she was/is my Grandma. When we parted ways this afternoon and I went to hug her someone said "Look out now, you're in my territory." I looked at him and said "Back off buddy, she's MY Grandma."
When I am an old lady I am going to be just like her. I will be soft enough to be a comfort to others, but snappy enough to make people mind me. I will dance and sing and make up names, because I already do these things, and I enjoy them. I will take joy in the simple pleasures life has to offer, give back to this world, and I will keep my mind and my body busy, just like she does. Heck, up until she was just about ninety she still enjoyed a cold beer every afternoon. She still drove up until about that time too........probably not the best idea. No matter what you needed, Grandma had it in the trunk of her car. I used to joke with her that if she looked hard enough Jimmy Hoffa was probably in there.
She told me that we don't really ever figure out life........ but I think that maybe she has, and she just doesn't know it.
When she was walking away I heard her say to the gal who helps her out, "This was my lucky day! I've thought about her so much." No Grandma, I'm the lucky one. We are shaped by the women who raise us, and even though I was an adult, you definitely had a strong hand in shaping me into the woman I am today. ♥
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