Grandma

A couple weekends ago, I met my brother, dad and cousin in Orlando to visit my grandma. She's a beautiful, impressive 91-year old woman who sends text messages to her family and updates her Facebook page. We went down to see her because she is moving out of the apartment she and my grandfather moved into in 1990 and is getting set up in an assisted living facility.

Aspects of the trip were somber and heartbreaking. Grandma is saying goodbye to the last home she shared with my grandfather. She is losing weight and isn't quite strong enough to move freely. She is handing down the jewelry that she's collected over the course of an amazing life. When my grandfather passed away, she put his wedding ring on a gold chain and put it around her neck. She's hadn't taken it off until she gave the chain to me, and the ring to my brother.

But I was surprised by how inspiring the weekend was. As Grandma went through some of her things, she shared stories about where they came from. Each had an amazing story, representing another exotic country, another love story between her and my grandfather. This 91-year old woman has been to just about every place you can imagine, and lives to tell the tale. She would not let a single detail slip and frequently pulled up dates and locations faster than my dad. She is utterly amazing.

If I live half the life she has, I'll consider myself a lucky lady.