Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Monday's Fabulous Moment

I was so worried that yesterday would get away without a really fabulous moment.

Why I ever doubt...

Monday's Fabulous Moment was simply waiting in my mailbox for me.

A few posts ago I talked about the fact that I'm incredibly lucky to still have all four of my grandparents. It's a blessing that I don't take lightly or for granted. They're all amazing people that have taught me and loved me in ways I could never explain.

My dad's mom is simply...fabulous. She could totally beat your grandma up. Guaranteed. She's 6'2. She's got a huge heart for the Lord and a wicked sense of humor. For those of you that know me, pretty much my favorite combination. She also has an amazing gift for telling stories, but through writing. Since I moved to Austin she has been incredibly diligent in writing me letters and keeping me posted about what's going on in her world. I love them and cherish them. I've never gotten rid of one and don't ever intend to.

See here's the thing about grandma's letters. They're full of stories of the day to day goings on in she and my grandpa's life. She sometimes tells me stories about what the neighbors are up to. Fills me in on what's going on with my cousins or her sisters. She talks about what it's like getting old, being silly and making me laugh about the harder things in life, things like illness and your body falling apart. One time she wrote and told me that sometimes she wakes up, looks down and says, "Who the hell does that arm belong to!?" But the thing about her letters is that there's always a priceless gem in there. There's some story that starts out routine and quickly becomes, well, not routine. Like the one she told me one time about how they were making a fabulous pot roast or something and was so excited about how good it smelled and upon getting it ready to serve, realized her cell phone had fallen in the crock pot and had also been roasting for hours. They ate the meat anyway. These are the kinds of things that make her letters amazing and yesterday's...well...it didn't disappoint.

After reading about about some of my grandpa's health problems and a trip my dad made to go visit them, I stumbled right into Monday's Fabulous Moment...

"Uncle Ben and Aunt Florence and Terry just got back from a 3-week trip. They were at an RV park in San Diego parked right next to an elaborate RV and Uncle Ben was outside early in the morning and this lady comes out and starts talking to him. She was wearing a long caftan and was really made up. Later on, Florence came out and sat down and this lady comes out and starts talking to Florence; asked if she could sit down. They talked and then she told Florence she was a transvestite and she had been an officer in the navy and was an eye surgeon. When she turned and walked away Florence could see her manly muscular legs. Ben couldn't believe it. Anyway, they had a good time."

Here's to you grandma...I love you.

4 comments:

emily said...

oh.my.word. please telling me you are joking. AMAZING!

Jen said...

Friend...I couldn't pay for this kinda material.

LisaMinken said...

Jen - I love reading your blog. What a great thing to have. I cherish letters and cards from my grandmother. Looks like you inherited your wonderful writing talent (and humor) from a pretty awesome lady. -Lisa

Laura said...

Someday, I would like to meet your grandma.