St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is kind of a down day for me. So it's been 5 years ago today that my grandfather passed away--shouldn't I be over it by now? To tell the truth, nope. I'm not. But that's just me. I mean, hell, the man was the only grandfather I ever knew.
This morning I was explaining to Lana that my grandpa passed away on this date 5 years ago, and how it's just kind of "another day" for me, and I talked about my grandma as well. And that really is the main reason I'm writing today--about my grandma...

After I got to my desk, I sat down and was thinking about "the crazy old lady"--as I endearingly love to call her. (More on that one later.) I have lost friends, grandparents, cousins, great aunts, and great uncles. And of course each of them hurts like I could not possibly explain, but I can not even fathom losing a husband, father, or mother at this point in my life. I know friends who have experienced that, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, no matter how young or old. Now I'm sure my grandma feels down on St. Patrick's Day, as do the rest of us; however, this woman is strong enough to not let it overrule her or let her compromise her day to feel sorry for herself. I can't say how she handles a day like this, but she always comes out on top.

This woman is a breast cancer survivor for nearly 17 years now. She has endured and overcome the removal of one of her breasts, plus the loss of her hair from treatments. (It has all grown back now, of course.) She has had several knee surgeries, and is still up walking around and going non-stop. She retains fluid in her arm, which makes it swell up to twice the normal size so that she has to wear a special sleeve, but she doesn't let that stop her, either. Incredibly active in her Church, and strong in her faith, she wouldn't think of skipping church just because she "didn't feel like going." Before all this, though, grandma raised three kids (Sandy--my mom, Patty, and Billy) and became the favorite to 6 grandkids (myself, Ray--my brother, Adam, Austin, Brad, and Amanda). Grandpa was her Navy boy, and I still have the rosary he brought me back from Israel. No matter what happened, or what kind of problems they had, "mom" always loved "dad"--little pet names I heard my grandparents use for each other on more than one occasion.

So why do I call her the "crazy old lady"? She's just kooky. And I don't mean like drool-all-over herself-talk-goofy kooky. But fun kooky. If she's not one already, she definitely would qualify as a member of the Red Hat Society. This woman lives and loves life and praises God everyday for what she has. She makes no bones about what kind of behavior is and is not allowed in her presence--my mother and I have both learned the hard way that you do NOT flip off your fiancee / husband in front of her (even joking), or you WILL get smacked. Some of the stuff she comes up with, you just wouldn't expect from a grandma. I'm not saying that's a bad thing--not at ALL. That's one of the many things I love about my grandma--she can be quite unpredictable. I guess that would be one main reason I call her the "crazy old lady"--and I know not many people could get away with that.

All I can say is that I ever have to go through even part of what my grandmother has been through, I hope that I can do it with even half the grace & strength that she has, and end up just as wise and loving as her.

Love you grandma.
Love and miss you grandpa.
Everyone have a fun--but safe--St. Patrick's Day