Everyone came over for dinner last night. Usually every third week it’s my parents and their kids and grandkids at our house for Sunday dinner. Tonight both sets of my grandparents wanted to see my dad’s recovery for themselves. (He has cancer, he’s getting aggressive treatment, and he’s looking good since shaving his off-work-for-surgery beard–and if you’re at risk get a screening, okay?)
One of my grandmas wrote an 8-page single-spaced response to that Salon article, but since today is President’s Day, I’m going to save that and show you instead my Grandma Ora Mae who served as a registered nurse in World War II. Tonight I got her all to myself for a few minutes and she asked me what a wiki is. I introduced her to the joy of getting lost in wikipedia, where you keep clicking on hyperlinks halfway through each entry and suddenly you’re trying to figure out how you got from Joseph Smith to alfalfa.
She coed over Molly and since I am turning into that stop-the-clocks mother I asked if she was sad when she realized that her tenth child in 14 years would be her last. She said she had two miscarriages after him and the doctor said she better take care of the kids she had.
I could tell you how well she did that, how much we all love her, how even my husband gets a softer tone in his voice when we speak of her, but it would probably sound unbelievably rosy, more like a fairytale than real life, and then we’re back to the question of whether my grandma’s life as an army nurse in Okinawa and then as a Mormon wife and mother could possibly have produced someone who glows from within so steadfastly brightly that it’s a pleasure to be anywhere near her, doesn’t she know how hard life and faith are?
I think she knows it all.
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Yes, I can tell she is wise beyond her years. That will be you someday (a someday far away, of course) and I will be your sidekick in the rocking chair listening to your stories and wishing I’d grown up to be just like you!
your grandma IS incredible- i’ve always thought that. BUT i am DYING to know what our grandma’s 8 page letter said. I always love gma’s letters!
Shannon Reply:
February 22nd, 2011 at 2:05 pm
I need to scan it. The computer she typed it on has a floppy drive and no Internet. But it’s good stuff; will send it to you.
I had no idea your dad had cancer. I’m so sorry. I can empathize.
Take care of yourself and your amazing family. I miss you all.
Shannon Reply:
February 22nd, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Thanks, Paige. He wanted to keep it really quiet and not make a fuss. But we told him unless you tell people, they can’t pray for you.
Best wishes to your dad. And your grandmother seems like a great lady.
I totally agree about grandma. Sweet, wise, gentle, and fun. I would LOVE to be more like her.
It’s a small world–I lived in your grandma’s ward for a few years and she is an awesome person.
While I’ve obviously never met her, I’ve had a lifetime of studying people’s eyes. I can tell from her eyes that she is amazing! I’ll keep a good thought on the cancer front.