Grandma Sally

I've been blessed with two amazing Grandmothers. A rich heritage of loving Christ and those around them. Two very different ladies, but both strong, loving woman. My Grandma Nora died when I was 3. I do remember her, but I unfortunately I didn't get to know her in such a way that I could compare myself to her or ask her interesting questions. (though I do remember asking on a number of occasions why she had a mole above her eye) Looking back, the memory of her face is the most like my Aunty Leila now. That might not be correct, but it's a 3 year old's memory! Anyways, I could write a fair bit about this Grandma through what I've been told, but today I'm writing about my other Grandma. "Grandma Sally", as half the town knew her.

I was named after my Grandma. Me and a handful of other cousins. I think I'm the only one to be graced with her first name, which she didn't go by, and my parents added on to anyways. But it's still special to me!

Grandma Sally died a few years back. I would have to say I miss her tremendously. I often think of her and wonder what her opinion would be on day to day issues. I'm told I'm a lot like her, in funny little ways (driving, doing laundry, worrying, etc...lol). I'm sure most of my cousin's are the same way, but it brings great comfort to me, to be like her. The reason why might surprise you though.
I could go on and on for several paragraphs about the wonderful amazing things my Grandma did, for, she really did do them. But I'm going to tell you about why she's so important to me today.

Grandma was human. Very much human. She had flaws... I know, I know, we don't normally speak about these sorts of things, but I need to. Because it's these flaws that make me know, I'm going to be ok too. Not to gloat over them and say they were big bad huge things, but normal, ordinary human kinds of stuff. And yet, all her wonderfulness shone above it all. But I was lucky enough to see her normalness.

Grandma wasn't the type to put on "airs", as they say. She was who she was. She was practical about that too, as far as I knew. Fashion didn't cause Grandma to flinch! No no. But she was always dressed properly. And made sure I was too! I remember having a few fights with her over this. I stopped in one day to visit her after school and she was horrified that I had holes in my jeans! Well, from all I knew, it was the latest fashion and I had worked hard to get them to that point, so I could finally fit in! I wasn't allowed to leave the house until she patched them up. nope. I was miffed, to be sure. My parents thought it was rather hilarious, since I'm sure they didn't like the holes anymore then Grandma did! Looking back, I admire her spunk...

A few random memories about clothing that make me smile...

Like I said, Grandma didn't put on airs. So if the day needed it, she would add a pair of pants to her dress. Yep, she did!
One time at a sleep over at her house she noticed that I had forgotten to pack clean underwear for myself. We had had a bath and I probably needed a change pretty badly (eek!). So, ever practical, Grandma pinned a pair of hers on me! I was a scrawny kid and Grandma's finery probably could have fit 5 of me into them. No matter, I wailed, she pinned! I'm smiling just thinking of this... I'll probably do this to my own Grand kids someday, haha! Needless to say, I never forgot to bring clean underwear places after that!

Another time, after a sleep over, I went to church with Grandma. She was one of the Grandma's that wore those plastic rain caps to church to protect her hair. Guess what... that Sunday, I did too. Once again, very much against my will. Come to think of it, Grandma might have been the only living person to withstand my strong will! Sigh, another reason I would love to sit and visit with her now. Cause the apples ain't falling too far from the tree's, if you get me!

I could go on, so many delightful memories. I feel so blessed to have grown up my young childhood years near my Grandma...

Grandma's Character...

You know that saying, "Grow where you are planted"? I never heard her say it (though she might have) But Grandma was a pro at this. Anyone who's lived any kind of life knows that is much much harder then it sounds. My Grandma was not given a life that played off of her strengths. Oh, they became her strengths, but from what I can guess (perhaps some aunties could enlighten me further?) her circumstances more or less played off of her weaknesses.

A little back ground.

Grandma grew up in the city. From what I know, her parents were well off, perhaps fairly well off. She lived in a beautiful bit house in Calgary. The house is still standing and is still large in today's standards, though the lands have been divided up, so the yard isn't nearly as large as it once was. I remember her telling me about going dancing and having fun in her youth (which she wasn't proud of later, but the stories were interesting to me as a young girl). She was well trained. She became a district health nurse. In those days, there weren't as many educated woman, so she would have been quiet the catch! She was tall and lovely looking in her young pictures.

She moved to a tiny town in Southern Alberta and worked as the nurse in the health unit there. My guess is she was very good at her job too. She met and married a local farmer in the area. My Grandpa. He died when I was 6, I would have loved to know him better too. (the price is right, anyone? )

Anyways, Grandma stopped working and became a wife and mother. It sounds rather romantic, and I'm sure it was. But I do wonder how I would have felt, a few years into things, if I was her... See, Grandma had allergies. And she lived on a farm now... Get it? That must have been misery for her. Most farm woman were expected to help out some on the farm, but she was allergic to all the animals! I would be curious if this was an issue for my Grandpa, or if he had understood this all along.

Hmmm...

The next thing was, Grandma didn't like to cook. She may have grown up with a cook in their house, I have no idea really. But it wouldn't be that unusual. Oh she had good things she could make, but I don't know that she really enjoyed it much. But, she probably knew that it wasn't her strong point eh. But, get this. It didn't stop her from being hospitable. I soooo love that! See, Grandma loved people more! She probably wasn't winning any cooking awards, yet, she still did her best! Amazing isn't it? Perhaps it was her practical nature, perhaps she just made a choice not to let anything hold her back. She did even the things she didn't enjoy and did them with joy.

Ok, so now she's a farm woman who can't help with animals and doesn't like to cook. These are two fairly strong stereo-types for farm woman to hold up to. And honestly, a lot of woman would have crumbled under the pressure of trying to be something they weren't. She wasn't trained to be a farm wife. It basically took her weakest area's and exaggerated them for her.

But yet, Grandma grew strong. She rose above it. I would guess that it wasn't always easy, but her character flourished as a result. Grandma had amazing character. She was a strong woman of prayer. She knew the word of God and she loved the Lord like no other I know. If she had chosen a life that was easy for herself, who knows what she could have missed out on? If she had chosen to be bitter and resent the fact that no one got to see the "real" Sally, who was an amazing nurse and a terrific dancer (um, that last one is a joke...) , what would have become of her?

She made her choices. She chose my Grandpa and truly left the rest of her life behind her for him. Wow. How many of us go into marriage like that now? Grandma didn't let her weaknesses slow her down. She had some main goals, Love God, Love Others. And she did. She did it very, very well. I always felt loved by her. Even when I had to eat her macaroni pizza...

I don't write any of this to flash about my Grandma's weakness's. It's her strength through the weakness's that amazes me. She was so human. So like me...human, with errors abounding. Yet she rose above. She took the lemons and truly made lemon aid. Oh I miss her. I miss her prayers. I treasure her quilts. I can still her her voice calling me sweety.

So, thank you Grandma. For being real. For not following the stereo types. For rising above. For loving God. For Praying for me. For bucking fashion and showing us all how trivial it is. For being strong, in what matters, and weak in what doesn't matter (pride). I hope, I truly hope, that I can be just like you.