Grandma Turns 80
Last Sunday, we all travelled to Jutland to celebrate my grandmother who turned eighty this week. It's quite a surreal thing to be quite honest. She's now eighty years old, which is a number of years lived that seems quite mind-boogling when you think about it. She is my mother's mother and we've always had a close relationship with her and her late husband, my grandfather who passed away nine and a half years ago.
My grandmother was born just before the Second World War and she's seen and learnt so much. She had a husband for forty plus years, two daughters, five grandchildren and a great grand child. And while the age shows when she repeats herself or forgets the odd thing here and there, she's still very much alive and kicking up a storm as always.
I can only hope that I am as alive and "with it" when I become her age. I still come to spend a week with her every summer, chilling out and letting her fuss about while she plans lots of things for us to do, so I won't become bored. I've tried telling her that I'm never bored when I visit and I actually like taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of my everyday life. However, at the same time I know that her life is quite quiet, so it makes sense that she wants to go do things when she's got a visitor.
This past Sunday, she had invited twenty guests attend a lunch in a local restaurants that she'd booked just for the occasion. She had her daughters and their husbands and children and her great grandchild, her sister and her children and their children as well as a couple of friends. It was quite lovely and there was delicious food, presents and heartfelt speeches.
I was a sat beside my brother and I sought comfort in his presence in a room full of people I see very rarely. I was sat near some of the people I've never met before and exchanging banter with my little brother calmed my nerves a bit. Furthermore, he's the perfect gentleman and a joy to sit beside at the dinner table.
We met at Grandma's house before walking to the restaurants and we walked back to her house afterwards for cake and coffee. I don't think Grandma sat down for more than ten minutes throughout the whole day. She was always up and running around. She made a show to chase around with her great grandchild with the new suitcase she got from my aunt. The kid is turning two this summer and he's growing so much between every time I see him and I still occasionally forget that one of my cousins actually have a child and she's getting married soon. A cousin on my father's side of the family is also married and expecting his first child this summer.
Time moves so fast and the family evolves and expands. Grandma has become the proud matriarch of our family and she's accepted everyone with open arms, especially her grandchildren and now her first great grandkid clearly has a special place in her heart. She loves to fuss about and spoil us and I think we can hardly do anything wrong in her eyes. Even if she loves to gossip about everyone, us included.
However, as time wears on, it also brings up memories of those we've lost. This autumn it will be ten years since we lost my grandfather and at every family gathering you can still feel his absence. I don't think that will ever go away and that's probably a good thing. He's imprinted on our lives and his spirit always joins us at the important events. I just wished that we'd got to celebrate him turning eighty years too.
But I'm so thankful for my grandmother and the fact that she is still around. She's fairly strong for her age but at some point, we will lose her. That's the inevitability of loving someone. You'll lose them eventually and especially saying goodbye to grandparents is a natural part of life. It doesn't mean that it won't hurt like hell and rip your heart out while you mourn.
Grandma is my last grandparent and this past Tuesday she turned eighty years old. I will cherish every moment I have with her and continue to visit her every summer. I have to get better at picking up the phone and calling her too, because she's a wonderful old lady, even if she's becoming more odd with each passing year, and I love her dearly.
My grandmother was born just before the Second World War and she's seen and learnt so much. She had a husband for forty plus years, two daughters, five grandchildren and a great grand child. And while the age shows when she repeats herself or forgets the odd thing here and there, she's still very much alive and kicking up a storm as always.
I can only hope that I am as alive and "with it" when I become her age. I still come to spend a week with her every summer, chilling out and letting her fuss about while she plans lots of things for us to do, so I won't become bored. I've tried telling her that I'm never bored when I visit and I actually like taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of my everyday life. However, at the same time I know that her life is quite quiet, so it makes sense that she wants to go do things when she's got a visitor.
This past Sunday, she had invited twenty guests attend a lunch in a local restaurants that she'd booked just for the occasion. She had her daughters and their husbands and children and her great grandchild, her sister and her children and their children as well as a couple of friends. It was quite lovely and there was delicious food, presents and heartfelt speeches.
The table was decked for the occasion and it was a lovely lunch and celebration
I was a sat beside my brother and I sought comfort in his presence in a room full of people I see very rarely. I was sat near some of the people I've never met before and exchanging banter with my little brother calmed my nerves a bit. Furthermore, he's the perfect gentleman and a joy to sit beside at the dinner table.
We met at Grandma's house before walking to the restaurants and we walked back to her house afterwards for cake and coffee. I don't think Grandma sat down for more than ten minutes throughout the whole day. She was always up and running around. She made a show to chase around with her great grandchild with the new suitcase she got from my aunt. The kid is turning two this summer and he's growing so much between every time I see him and I still occasionally forget that one of my cousins actually have a child and she's getting married soon. A cousin on my father's side of the family is also married and expecting his first child this summer.
Time moves so fast and the family evolves and expands. Grandma has become the proud matriarch of our family and she's accepted everyone with open arms, especially her grandchildren and now her first great grandkid clearly has a special place in her heart. She loves to fuss about and spoil us and I think we can hardly do anything wrong in her eyes. Even if she loves to gossip about everyone, us included.
However, as time wears on, it also brings up memories of those we've lost. This autumn it will be ten years since we lost my grandfather and at every family gathering you can still feel his absence. I don't think that will ever go away and that's probably a good thing. He's imprinted on our lives and his spirit always joins us at the important events. I just wished that we'd got to celebrate him turning eighty years too.
But I'm so thankful for my grandmother and the fact that she is still around. She's fairly strong for her age but at some point, we will lose her. That's the inevitability of loving someone. You'll lose them eventually and especially saying goodbye to grandparents is a natural part of life. It doesn't mean that it won't hurt like hell and rip your heart out while you mourn.
Grandma is my last grandparent and this past Tuesday she turned eighty years old. I will cherish every moment I have with her and continue to visit her every summer. I have to get better at picking up the phone and calling her too, because she's a wonderful old lady, even if she's becoming more odd with each passing year, and I love her dearly.
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