Slice of Life: March 14 -- 90 Years Young

As you get older, your definition of "old" changes.  As a kid, I remember thinking 40 was old.  Now that I'm about to turn 32, 40 definitely doesn't seem old.  My parents are both in their sixties, and I don't think of either of them as old.  I've also learned that being "old" is more of a mindset than anything.  My grandmother epitomizes the value that no matter your age, you can still be young at heart.

My grandma is an amazing woman.  She tells stories of growing up, moving from one place to another, often so her father could provide a meager living for his family.  My grandparents married in 1942 while my grandpa was stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana, waiting to be deployed into World War II.  My grandmother wasn't old enough to get married in the county where my grandpa was stationed, so they went across the county line, where they were married by a justice of the peace and two customers at a local drugstore served as the witnesses to their marriage.

Growing up, I have fond memories of my grandparents.  We spent a lot of time at their house, especially in the summer.  My grandparents lived down the street from 7-11, a local convenience store, and we would often beg to walk to the store to get a Slurpee.  She also lived a block from a park, where my brother and cousins and I spent lots of time swinging, going down the giant slide, and playing homerun derby on the tennis courts.  My grandparents had paneling in their hallway, and my cousins and I would mark our heights in the groove of the paneling.  It was fun to see how much we grew over the years.

When I was very young, my grandmother worked as a secretary at a school in Carthage where my mom taught.  I don't have lots of memories of her in that role, but I do remember all of our family surprising her when she retired from that job in 1989.  My grandpa was a brick mason by trade, but I mostly remember him building things and spending hours tending their huge garden.  My grandma would then spend hours canning vegetables they had grown.  I still can smell the vinegar she used when making pickles from the cucumbers they grew.   My grandparents had been married 55 years when my grandpa passed away in 1997.

My grandma in 1977 when she was a school secretary

After my grandpa died, my grandma spent time volunteering at the local hospital in Carthage.  When I would ask her what she did at the hospital, my grandma would reply, "I push old people around in their wheelchairs."  Mind you, my grandma was in her eighties when she said this and was, in fact, often much older than those she chauffeured at the hospital.  Like I said, "old" is definitely a mindset.

My grandma turned 90 in December.  Our family surprised her by giving her 90 envelopes containing messages from family and friends.  It was wonderful to see my grandma sit in her rocking chair and read the words written by so many people who love and care about her so much.  She has truly impacted countless lives, including mine.

My husband, Grandma, and me at her 90th birthday party

In many respects age is just a number.  As a kid, you probably don't think about it much.  But I will say that time seems to go faster the older you get.  My hope is to always be young at heart.