My cousin’s wife lost her grandmother the other day. She was, as they say, a good age. Ninety four.
But still. When I read it my eyes filled up.
With all the nastiness in the world that I could cry about this is the thing that finally gets me. Although I only teared up. No fits or anything. I’m just saying.
Grandmothers are special.
My paternal grandparents lived in Ireland (and I did not) so I never really knew them. There wasn’t the money to go back and forth. My maternal grandparents were also from Ireland but lived in the U.S. so I knew them very well.
I was close to my grandmother. I am her namesake.
She was a gorgeous woman. With auburn hair and green eyes. And a lovely peaches and cream complexion as a young woman according to her cousin Tom Creaney.
I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately. Not exactly sure why she keeps creeping into my thoughts. But I have some clues.
We bought that new house in Rhode Island during the winter so I still really have no idea what the landscaping will look like in the spring. But I did ask the previous owner if they planted lilacs. She said that there were some bushes in the backyard.
Yay! I love purple lilacs. We had them when I was growing up. So it’s a part of the grand scheme.
It made me remember my Nana. She was allergic to them. And there was a bush right outside her kitchen window. Where she sat a good portion of the day. Doing her puzzles, scanning the newspaper, reading letters, cutting out photos with “The Fonz” or “Donny Osmond” for me and eating her meals.
She did not own the house so she suffered instead of requesting the bush be removed.
Wish I could sit and commiserate with her until the allergy season passed.
I now walk every day in Delhi parks. I goof around on the gym equipment that the Lion’s Club has generously provided.
One day, I see a lady who looks like an expat. Maybe I will strike up a conversation. See what we have in common.
Ummm. She’s got banana curls. I cannot remember the last time I saw anyone with banana curls.
My first thought? Friendship might be a tad difficult if she is on the high maintenance side. That’s totally not my thing. I’m thinking banana curls take a bit o’ time.
I envision, “Hey, want to grab a coffee or a drink?”
Response, “Sure! In four to six hours. Gotta curl my hair!”
Okay, totally being unfair to this woman. Plus I am sure they’ve perfected that banana curl look with a simple tool.
Nancy, my Canadian friend said, “You never know!”
But it made me think of my grandmother once again.
I, too, had banana curls. My mom has the photos to prove it. Pictures documenting the before, during and after. I’d share but they are at Mom’s house. In a different country. Plus I was probably in second grade so a bit toothless. Not a good look. Makes me seem a bit off in the photos.
In the “during” photos I am seated at my grandmother’s knees. She is setting/weaving my hair with rags. Once a cotton pillow case but torn into strips that wrapped up my hair.
Wish I could sit at her knee now.
My husband and I would always invite her to join us. Even for a drive. She would say, “No thanks, you kids go on.”
I think the last time she said “Yes” was a trip to La Salette Shrine during the Christmas season. A place where there are tons of Christmas lights. That was many years ago.
Wish I could take her for a drive.
My brothers and I were reminiscing recently and talking about her. My little brother got in trouble with my Dad one day. After Nana had been babysitting us. Nothing to do with Nana. LOL. She just came up in the memory hashing.
Wish she was here to validate the childhood memories.
Anyway, she’s obviously been on my mind.
A grandmother is truly a special gift. If you still have one give her a call. Take her out. Cherish her.
You will never regret the time spent and I can pretty much guarantee that you will always miss her once she is gone.
Just Being Mary 