Last night I missed the Republican National Convention, because I'd promised to go down to Springville, to visit my aging Grandpa. He's 90 years old, and is weak and ailing. It's hard for me to see him like that. Not too many years ago, he was a tall, strapping, healthy older man. Since then, he's gradually weakened, and become more and more frail. Now, he's growing thinner and weaker every day, it seems. . . and there's nothing that I can do about it. As established as the aging process is, as much as we all understand it, I am just not prepared to deal with this personally, to see this happen to my grandparents. I'm having a hard time with their imminent passing, and have been unpredictably emotional about the whole thing. It's different when it's personal to you. Or to your close relatives. Heavy sigh.
When we got there to Grandpa's house, (I took 2 of the boys), and asked him how he was doing, he greeted us with some traditional small talk, and then:
"Well, I just sit here in my wheel chair all day, and wait for it all to be over. . . "
I ask you, what do you say to THAT? Talk about cutting out the pretense. I think he misses Grandma, and all his friends. . . Ouch.
He wanted us to go through some of my Grandmother's things, to see if there was anything we could use. . She has a lot of shoes, jewelry, make-up, etc, and I just couldn't go through it all, in just a couple of hours, with him sitting there watching. As if that was my intent anyway. . . Sigh. I do miss my Grandma. I was very upset when she passed away a couple of months ago. More than I had expected to be. I mean, when someone is 91 years old, and she's ill, and going downhill fast, you know, in your head, that . . she's probably not going to be around much longer. But when it actually happens, when they actually leave you, it's a whole different ball game, emotionally. Aaarrrgghhh!
We chatted for a while, me and Grandpa, while the boys flipped through channels on the TV in the next room, and ran around in the backyard. He said that Grandma had bought all this stuff because she thought it would make her happy, but it didn't work. He told me that she had been 'quite despondent' there toward the end. Painful pause. Then we talked about his personal history, that my dad is putting together. Grandpa had recently dictated it to him. I told him I was excited to read it. He told me that there was nothing real glamorous about it, just mostly common everyday stuff. . . . It kind of puts it all into perspective, doesn't it? What's really important in life, I mean. It sure ain't all the baubles. . . All of that's just stuff. Looks like it's all about . . the love. The love in our hearts for the people we love, if we have known love, and given love. That's about it. Sigh. What a revelation. Of course we all know this already, we just lose sight of this knowledge occasionally. . . We forget. I hope that I can remember.
Before we left Grandpa showed me the printout for his and Grandma's combined headstone. Their mutual monument. It was slightly disconcerting to me, matter of fact to him. I think he's looking forward to death, and the comfort it will bring him. Honestly, like my unbelievably wise husband has said: There is value in death. No more suffering, no more loneliness. . . What else can I say? I hope Grandpa will be happy, up there with Grandma, reunited sooner rather than later. . . I hope that he won't have to suffer for very long.
On a different note, earlier this morning, I watched the Republican National Convention, or at least some of the speeches that were given, on U-Tube. Jeffy jeffy jeffy (He wanted to type his name) : ) I was impressed and inspired by the amazing phenomenon that is Sarah Palin! They just don't make 'em like her anymore! Or maybe. . they do! : ) I thoroughly enjoyed listening to hers and everyone else's common sense, old time values approach to everything. It was like a breath of fresh air. Especially after all the nonsensical garbage that the leftist liberal media has been throwing at her and at us, at all the good prospective candidates. Seriously, can you imagine going after a candidate's children like they've been doing?! Clearly, the mostly evil media is almost exclusively liberal, and therefore bias. Also, clearly they have nothing else! It's really rather amusing. Sarah Palin is a powerhouse of moral fiber, virtuous womanhood, and practical experience that the 'angry left' just can't go up against. They got nothin'! And that my friends, is why I can say with all confidence: Checkmate Baby, CHECK MATE. And like I said on Facebook, it's about time our party, and I mean the conservative party, finally started playing better chess and brought out the white queen. And I make no reference to race. Condoleeza Rice is my favorite person on the planet, next to family. When I say 'white', I mean 'without a hidden agenda', a clean, fair and square, in your face, hard working, makin' in happen point guard - giving you the old SLAM DUNK! That's right Baby! We're gonna WIN! And 'we're gonna take back Washington from all the crazy people there, who are only concerned with pretense, and who can't seem to figure out that we need to make use of our own resources, polar bear or no polar bear! No more traditional Washington 'game playing' for you.
Put THAT in your soda can and drink it!
Bring out the pitchforks everybody, cause the GAME is BACK ON.
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