Jul 03 2008
Great-Gramma
Yes, I’m a little late posting today, but I had a special visitor. My great-grandmother came to visit me. Now, if you’re thinking, “Wait, Hotfessional is forty-freakin’-five, how old must her great grandmother be?”, let me tell you a little about this amazing woman.
My paternal grandmother was one of nine children. Her father - a wonderful, tall, true gentleman, had those nine children with his first wife. After she died (I never knew her), he went back to Lebanon and brought home a wife 30 years younger than himself. She’s my Great-Gramma. And great means great in every single way.
She bore him 4 more children… the youngest of which is eleven months older than me. Her eldest daughter married a man that I had a huge crush on when I was ten. Her two sons, the middle children, are doctors. The baby, a daughter, was one of my best friends growing up.
Anyway, my Great-Gramma, is a breast cancer survivor. She still bakes all of the old country Middle-eastern sweets - from scratch. As near as I can tell, she’s in her early-to-mid eighties and drives wherever she needs to go, as long as it’s not dark. She hops onto planes and goes to see her daughter in Toronto or one of the two that are in California. She remembers all of her great-great grandchildren’s names - and hugs them all with a ferocity that surprises even them.
She’s my dear little Great-Gramma. I can kneel and hug her. She decided that she wanted to come see my house and the birdhouse that MomandDad made that match it.
I brewed coffee for my Dad, but she said she didn’t want anything. I asked her if she’d like a glass of water. She held my hand and said, “Later. Talk to me first.” I laughed and we talked about her old house in the Arab part of Dearborn. We talked about her grandson - the one with Autism - and she shook her head and said, “He’s so handsome. He’s so big and handsome. He just can’t talk. He’s 14 and he’s so much work for his mom. He’s such a sweet boy.” (Kelley, I thought about you. You would love this woman, not only for her love of her boy, but because I can only imagine that, (except for your potty-mouth-snort!), she is just your type of woman!)
When she walked into my kitchen while I got my Dad’s coffee, she grabbed my arm. “I changed my mind. I want coffee.”
So we went back out onto the deck with our coffee and talked some more. Then they had to leave so she could drive home while it was still light out. And I thought of one more thing that my mother told me about this special lady.
When my great-grandfather died, he was 72. He’s been dead just over 35 years. But right after he died, Great-Gramma called my mother (one of her favorite people in the world, I know) and told her she had something to give her. My mother went to her side, grateful that this woman who had just gone through so much, was calling her, the Polish-Catholic one that married into this Lebanese family.
—- What did my mother walk away with that day? What was so important to my Great-Gramma that during her period of mourning, she called this blonde, blue-eyed Pole to her side? Well, Great-Gramma bestowed upon my mother one thing that makes me laugh to tears even thinking about it today. Her left-over birth control pills. —-
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LMAO!
I think I would absolutely LOVE that woman . . . she sounds like a jewel!
Liz J in Central Illinois’s last blog post..She’s BAAAAAAACK!!!!!
That last line is a winner! What a great woman. Your mother, that is. Not that your Great Grandmother is great too, but that line will be a classic!
That’s a crack up! What a great story. What a great family!
I have a great-grandma too. She rocks. Another great-grandma just passed away a couple years ago at age 99 1/2. She rocked too. Sounds like yours is a gem, what a hoot!
Sunshine’s last blog post..To Flirt or Not To Flirt?
Great story! My fave part is knowing that the old guy was still getting a little sumthin sumthin at age 72!!!
bretthead’s last blog post..Politically Very Incorrect
I love your great gramma. That is all.
Mr Lady’s last blog post..My Triumphant Return to Thursday Thirteen (or something like that)
That’s hilarious. I love your great gramma
Nicole’s last blog post..Overheard - Two Conversations
I second that — hilarious! And awesome.
Twisting Ivy’s last blog post..Risks, Rants, and Reflections
Well, there’s no sense in wasting perfectly good birth control.
Jen on the Edge’s last blog post..Exhausted Jen
I’m lovin’ it. LOL She sounds like an AWESOME woman. Glad you had a good visit.
Hilarious! She’s my kind of woman! My great-Grandma was Grandpa’s 2nd wife too and I loved her to pieces. One time she put myself and six of my girlfriends up in her ole house when we decided it would be better to wait out a terrible snow storm in her small town that was halfway between home and our college dorms in Seattle. We woke in the morning to the smell of coffee and frying bacon — what a woman.
Twigs’s last blog post..Cuteness
Hilarious! She’s my kind of woman! My great-Grandma was Grandpa’s 2nd wife too and I loved her to pieces. One time she put myself and six of my girlfriends up in her ole house when we decided it would be better to wait out a terrible snow storm in her small town that was halfway between home and our college dorms in Seattle. We woke in the morning to the smell of coffee and frying bacon — what a woman.
Twigs’s last blog post..Cuteness
Bwaaaaa haaaaaa haaaaaaaaaa! She is awesome!
And I would love anyone in your family babe. I reserve my potty mouthedness for the internetz.
Kelley’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday on Thursday. With words…
That is hilarious and awesome and…I wouldn’t rely on those pills if I were you.
Not even in a pinch.
Jennifer H’s last blog post..In the mood to nosh
She sounds amazing!
Veronica’s last blog post..Dummies are the Spawn of Satan.
Great story Ree.. Great..
frogpondsrock’s last blog post..Mystery revealed..
That was great!
Obi-son’s last blog post..Pool 1 Me 0
She sounds like a cool granny. And baking Middle Eastern sweets from scratch! I would love to learn from her….I have a couple of authentic Persian cookbooks that I am learning from. Yummy food!
Jacki’s last blog post..Danes in America
What an AWESOME story.. I wanna hug her too!
mp’s last blog post..New Meaning to Independence Day
I think I would adore her!
RC’s last blog post..Another raging ear infection
Everyone should have a great gramma like yours!
coastrat’s last blog post..WEEK #18 - MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST BLUE BIRD UPDATE
What a great story. I teared up and laughed out loud.
anymommy’s last blog post..Part II - It’s Called a Birth Choice
That is one spirited Great Grandmother! Love it!
Oh Good Lord! I bet she keeps you in stitches! What a hoot! H takes a couple of pills before bed and has referred to them as her “birth control pills” a couple of times, but that’s not nearly as funny as actually HAVING THEM! AND PASSING THEM DOWN?!
Good one for Great-Gramma!
Krissa’s last blog post..?.aaaaaand they?re off!
What a fabulous woman! How lucky y’all are to have her in your lives.
I keep meaning to tell you, until reading you I was absolutely convinced I was the only person alive who said: “oh mah holy hell y’all” Seriously. I say it all the time with that exact inflection and accent.
HA!
rachel’s last blog post..How Do You Pop and Share Contest Winners
That. Is. Awesome. Glad you had a good visit with her — she sounds so cool.
hahahahaha. Great story!
Hyphen Mama’s last blog post..Bitter Sweet Symphony
May I borrow her? Jesus–she sounds great!
The Over-Thinker’s last blog post..I have 100 Beautiful Blogs Standing Before Me but Only 5 of You Can Go on in the Hopes of Becoming…
What a delight! How lucky you are to have her–what a heart that woman has! I pray to God my daughters in law speak of me with such generosity some day… I don’t want to grow into one of the old crabby ones–I wanna be like Great-Gramma!
melissa’s last blog post..Flashback Friday
OH wow…Ree that’s great…my great granny died when I was about 13…I loved her a lot…but this woman of yours sounds amazing!!!
Carrie’s last blog post..back.
That is hilarious!
That’s like my grandma, who is very old fashioned (about the age of your Great Grandma) and is all about waiting to have sex until marriage.
Except when I was dating my ex, I mentioned I slept over, but we didn’t do anything. (A lie, of course.) And she was like “well, what is WRONG with him?”
Kristabella’s last blog post..I Love Reality TV
Okay, that is stinkin’ hilarious! I love someone with a sense of humor!!!
Jennifer @ The Cubicle’s Backporch’s last blog post..The Lake House Revealing
that was a sweet post and tribute to your Great Gramma. wish i had known my grandmothers period. we miss out on so much when we don’t know the elders.
OMG- I want your great-grandma. She is too cool!
Thanks for making me laugh.
I just found out that when my grandma met her late husband he was dating her sister. Her sister was none too thrilled that Herbert liked my grandma better, so much so, that they ran off and eloped!
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