Getting older can be challenging, but it's something that's hard to grasp unless we are facing it or someone we love is showing signs of the wear and tear of life. This weekend I spent about 52 hours with my grandmother who is 94, still living on her own and is for the first time conveying the daily challenges that can so easily be small tasks we don't give a second thought.
Over the years she has definitely slowed down, but her spirit has never wavered. This weekend my heart ached as she was visibly frustrated with the inability to read the local bus schedule, taking 20 minutes to make a sandwich that once consumed three minutes of her time or having to help her put on her lip stick because her hands are not as steady as they once were.
I love my grandma with all my heart and although she still smiles as we wade in the pool there is a sadness about her that I've not noticed before. I know she yearns for her old family and friends and wishes she could do the little things that brought her joy that are now a part of the past. But I believe until we take our last breath that although our senses may wane, we must fight to surround ourselves with our loved ones and find joy in the little things in life that fill our hearts with happiness.
My hope is that as life throws some changes her way that the outlook will be one of life's gifts instead of life's challenges. I know at 37 that's easier for me to say, but I believe our ability to persevere and our outlook on life is contingent upon those we surround ourselves with and our determination to cling to the beauty in even the most trying of times.
My hope is that her heart will find joy and that the realization that getting older isn't something that is intended to be done on one's own. Family is family in good, bad, happy and the most trying of times. I look forward to the summer when I know that baby Jack will bring a renewed sense of joy and happiness.
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