Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Happy 2011!

Happy New Year to you all! I hope the holidays at your house have been all you hoped, and as we head into this year I wish you all health, happiness and hope.

When I started this blog a few months ago I debated about how much I wanted to share about my personal life, my family. So far I have kept things pretty "sterile" in regards to what I have shared. Being that this is a start to a new year, I tend to mull things over these first few days, set some general goals without loudly proclaiming them for all to hear, this way no one knows when I don't follow through! Accountability is a harder thing to swallow than those vitamins I promised I would take daily, and speaking of, what is with those things?! Good grief! They are massive!

The person I thought of most as we came into this year is my grandmother. She was not the type to sit around. She cooked, she visited family, she made time for friends, she had hobbies, she went on trips. This woman lived life to the fullest of her capabilities... and this was in her golden years. Even when she began showing signs of Alzheimer's she didn't let it slow her down. She took walks, she did puzzles, she watched I Love Lucy, and Young and the Restless, she shopped, she took vacations... It really was quite a long time before the disease slowed her down. When she passed, two days before Christmas, she was almost 95 years old, and while we were all very sad to lose our "matriarch" of our family, I didn't feel robbed. I think it was because she was so present in her day to day life that you knew she had to have squeezed at least two lifetimes into her one. If  I could glean anything from having the pleasure of knowing this woman it would be to enjoy all of your moments in life. Go with the flow.

So while I have many many projects to share with you in the New Year, I'm going to try to enjoy my moments and not sweat the small stuff.



This is my grandmother, in Vegas, gleefully counting her chips. I think she may be about 80 in this one.

3 comments:

Chickie said...

Though it sounds trite, I truly am sorry for your loss. You are absolutely right that it makes a big difference in the grieving process. Your grandmother sounds like a lady who made life happen rather than life happening to her. What a gift!

MABEL KING said...

SHE REALLY LIKE TO TRAVEL.EXPECIALLY VEGAS.
WE CERTAINLY WILL MISS HER.THANKS AMY.

Anonymous said...

Our Grandmother was a special lady and never forget anyone of us. She taught me how important family is and no matter through good and bad we stick together. She lived life to the fullest and she was fortunate she had wonderful daughters and a son and their spouses who made her feel special and she was always included in everything they did. We were blessed and I feel very blessed to have been there even in the worst times of her life..through those days of her Alzheimers She knew her family was still there for her and she felt that love. I will miss my weekly visits to the nursing home and she will forever be in my thoughts. She was our Queen Mom!