Christmas - Round Two

My aunt and uncle brought my grandmother to the Little Town for lunch today. We met at the only cafe my grandmother will eat at in the Little Town. My dad, stepmother, brother and his family, a cousin, Kris and I were in attendance for what we dubbed as Christmas Lunch with the paternal side of my family. It is rare to have all of us together since my aunt, uncle and grandmother live about 90 miles from the Little Town. Grandmom went to live with my aunt and uncle after it was decided that she needed assistance 24/7. It was an adjustment for everybody but it all seems to be working out nicely.

Grandmom isn't as spry as she once was and seems more in tune with my cousin's daughter who just turned three. I skipped down memory lane as I sat across from Grandmom today. She isn't a huggy-kissy kind of grandmother. And she didn't bake cookies or do arts and crafts projects with her grandchildren. What she did do is teach us how to identify animal tracks and bird feathers. She encouraged us to challenge our minds and soak up knowledge like a sponge. Grandmom introduced her grandchildren to the Trinity Episcopal Church and made no bones about us going through Confirmation and becoming members of the church. She is a staunch believer in expressing her opinion and respects people who stand up for what they believe in.

This could be the last Christmas that I got to spend with Grandmom but I like to hope that it wasn't. I couldn't help but smile when she engaged her youngest great-granddaughter (the toddler) in a conversation that only the two of them could understand. Forty-two years ago she probably had the same conversation with me.