Celebrating G

My family gathered in Dothan on Saturday to celebrate my maternal grandmother’s 80^th birthday.  In a lovely venue on a beautiful March afternoon, her four children, four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and more extended family and friends than we could count surrounded her and sang Happy Birthday as she looked on and smiled.  In that moment I was struck not by how terribly off-key we sounded, but rather by how seldom we stop to celebrate life.

My beautiful grandmother celebrating "80" 

 

Grandmother is rarely celebrated – by choice.  She does not seek out attention nor take kindly to being coddled.  More often than not she is a quiet, sideline observer,  taking everything in only to deliver one of her famous one-line zingers just when you least expect it.  She is the best seamstress I know even as the eye of the needle becomes increasingly difficult to find, and I treasure the fact that she is ever-present in my home’s draperies and tablecloths.  She is famous for M&M cookies and never forgetting a birthday.  Consulting her meticulously maintained calendar she can tell you exactly when a person came into this world and when they went out.  She loves shoes and has the softest hands.  She can pray heaven down into our midst in the few minutes that it takes her to bless a meal.  She is tough as nails and always says exactly what is on her mind.    She loved one man with all that she had and raised four phenomenal children.  She has that “mountain moving” kind of faith.  She is one of a kind.  She is wonderful, and she deserves to be celebrated often and much.

 

We enjoyed each other Saturday.  We laughed and ate and caught up on the “goings on” of everyday life.  We soaked up the sunshine and commented on how much our beautiful children have grown since we were last together.  We watched them as they played silly games and remembered when we were just like them – cousins, carefree and happy to be together if only for a day.  We celebrated G-Mom; we celebrated each other; we celebrated this beautiful, wonderful life. 

 

Happy, happy birthday, Grandmother.  Can’t wait to celebrate 100 and everything in-between!

Celebrating!

amy