Pardon This Diversion From Kid Stories

I primarily write stories on here so that I have them all in one place, and can save them so I remember them. It's sort of my online diary, only I've chosen to make it accessible to the world. So I can justify NOT writing about the tykes because I have a heart-warming story about my Grandma and it's also one I don't want to forget.

To tell this tale I have to give a little background on Grandma. She really has always lived by the words "if you can't say something nice, don't say it at all" or, as I like to think of it, "shut up and put up" . She probably wouldn't agree with that, and certainly never would have even thought of it, but it's an easier phrase for me to remember when the ol' hubby is really honking me off. Anyway.... back to Grandma. So today, I decided to surprise her and pick her up from the nursing home with the baby to bring her to The Farm for Thanksgiving. Well I did and the baby cried the entire way from the nursing home to my mom's house. As my niece recently wrote, my Grandma has "lost her memory" so she told me at least 15 times "I don't like to hear that baby cry. Couldn't someone else pick me up?" So much for "happy to see me"! It was so uncharacteristic of her, it really made me laugh. She really was annoyed. AND THEN....we got to my mom's house and here's when it really got humorous.

Apparently Grandma is getting annoyed with my mom because, while she was being helpful and nice, my Grandma perceived it as bossing her around by telling her what sweater to wear and that Grandma needed her coat. When my mom left the room Grandma said to me "Did I ever tell my mom what to do like that? No. I'm 92 years old. I think I know when I'm hot." Remember when I said this story was heart-warming? Well, it really warmed my heart to hear my mom's mom get ticked off at her. There's a first for everything.

I suppose in the spirit of Thanksgiving I should put what I'm thankful for. If you know me, you know I'm not exactly the warm and fuzzy, sentimental type but I am most thankful for my healthy kids. Some extended relatives spent today in the hospital getting chemo for their sick 4 year old. They wrote a blog about being thankful for the doctors, nurses, their friends from the hospital, who in a perfect world they would never have met, and that they were thankful that most of the kids got to spend their Thanksgivings at home. It put everything in perspective.