Since I've been back in the Cedar Valley, I have gotten the chance to go visit my grandma every Tuesday afternoon. I mow the lawn, she buys me subway, we sort through old stuff she wants to get rid of, I do my laundry. Though she would deny that this is truth, I have gained more wisdom, joy, and sense of belonging in the Tuesdays we've spent together than I could ever explain. There are countless lessons that she has taught me in my 23 years of life but I want to share just five.
1. Your "yes" should always be "yes". This is something I have always sucked at. I commit to things and don't follow through with them. In my time spent with grandma, I realize the hurt that flakiness can cause. If I tell my grandma I'm going to come over to see her, I make sure to do it, because if I don't, I know it makes her feel unloved and unimportant. I've encorporated this idea into the rest of my relationships as well and although I know that emergencies come up, people get sick, other more exciting opportunities come up, I believe we should always try our best to let our "yes" be "yes".
2. When you are honest in your relationships, things tend to get messy. For years before I started spending time with Grandma, we had a pleasant relationship. I would see her only a few times per year and mostly talked about how my life was going. Since I've spent more time with her (and even lived with her for a semester), we have been forced to be honest with each other. She will tell me when I upset her and I will do the same. She has found out a lot about the junk in my life and I've found out about hers... It's a little messy.
3. Messy isn't always a bad thing. As Grams and I confronted each other, I began to learn more about her perspective. I've learned about her childhood, her likes and dislikes, her family, and more. Though we have extremely different opinions on a lot of things, I find my relationship with her to be one of the closest and deepest relationships I have. That's pretty darn cool!
4. EVERYONE has a story that needs to be heard. Seriously, everyone. Take time to listen to someone's story today. Chances are, they need to tell it and chances are, you need to hear it.
5. Always be sure to stop and smell the roses... Or watch the birds. Something I love about Grams is that she can be pretty slow-moving at times, which allows for extra opportunities to see beauty in this world that most people are moving to fast to see. One Tuesday I spent with her I was trying to mow the lawn and get a bunch of other things done but the mower wasn't working and I wasn't able to do what I needed to do. I was getting frustrated until I saw Grandma looking out the window and motioning me to come over to see what she was looking at. A baby Cardinal had fallen out of a tree and she had been watching as the baby's mom and dad tried to get it to safety. We seriously watched this bird family for over an hour. It was so beautiful! I would've completely missed it if I would've mowed the lawn and kept busy with all I had planned. That moment reminded me to stop sometimes and take in the beauty of the world around me
Now, I guarantee when my grandma reads this, she will tell me I'm exaggerating on how wise she is, say she's not a big deal, maybe even accuse me of making all this up... But to be honest, I don't really care! Bottom line is, my grandma has influenced my life in amazing ways and I feel like everyone should know that! Grams, you are the best. Thank you for everything.
Now, stop reading and go call your grandma. Ask her about her childhood. Tell her she's awesome. I guarantee you will make her day! You'll probably make your own day, too :)
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