Happy Thanksgiving

Ahh, the holiday spirit is in the air. Reunions of loved-ones we haven't seen since Summer, hugs, kisses, and reminiscing... all the great parts of family, right? Or is it leaving the lights on in every room of the house, not throwing away the cardboard from the toilet paper, and being their normal, crazy, weird self anywhere they are... even if it requires doing the "bend & snap" in public? There's kind of a slight preview of my crazy, although small, family. I am going to slightly relate this to The Help, so this is my last post pertaining to the book, because I will be starting a new one tomorrow.  Throughout the book, Skeeter's mother gets sick, making Skeeter realize how much she actually loves her mother and wants her to be okay, even if she's annoying and demanding at times. Skeeter has to see her mother go through pain and suffering that no one deserves.  She watches her mother deteriorate as her cancer gets worse, making her unable to eat.  She watches her mother die. Must we really wait until the last minute to appreciate our family members?

Tonight, we went to Big Cheese - a restaurant on Benson road, on the same building as Jimmy John's. My family is kind of obsessed with eating pizza, because every holiday or occasion that requires coming to our home, we end up eating pizza 2-3 times... in (not even) a week. My parents and aunt and uncle kept talking about surgeries and pain and other factors of old age.  They also talked about their parents.

My grandmother Austin is my only grandparent left living.  After losing my other three, I cherish the time I have with her.  I took for granted having grandparents... I want to be like Eleanora when I'm old, because she is a fabulous cook.  She taught me how to make cookies, and I remember sitting on her counter, singing a song about losing my front teeth while she showed me all her secrets.  My brothers and I always got so excited when we got to spend the night at Grandma's.  We got to watch movies, have popcorn, play with toys, and play games with Grandma all day! It was the best thing ever.

I miss Grandpa Gene. He died when I was a freshman, and I wrote an essay about him shortly after. I'm ashamed to say that when I was very little, I was almost scared of Grandpa Gene... he used to yell at my brothers and me for being loud and told us to go sit down quite frequently.  I always thought he was crabby and didn't want to talk to me.  I realized too late that Grandpa was indeed a very nice man, but he was actually shy when wanting to talk with us. After he was put in the hospital during his last days, I always went to visit him with my mom, and I really listened to what he had to say. Those last months were probably the most I ever talked to my grandfather at once. I wish this Thanksgiving he could sit in the chair where he always sat, my dog Daisy on his lap with Toby by his side, hear his booming laugh and see his crooked grin. 

While at diner tonight, I actually learned that my Grandpa Elmer basically had Alzheimer's all throughout my childhood.  Symptoms increased when I got into 3rd grade.  I don't remember a lot about Grandpa Elmer, except that he was the biggest kid anyone ever met.  All of his friends from Renner enjoyed his presence and sneaky sense of humor.  He used to take my brothers and I up to the crick (which was about 20 ft. from their house) and we would throw rocks, gawking at the huge splashes they made.  I also remember he used to sneak me Tic-Tacs, and I thought he was so awesome, since I wasn't supposed to have them.  We used to have a bowling kit and he would set the pins up, even though my brothers and I destroyed them within seconds - he just wanted to play with his grandchildren.  We used to fight for his chair, too. Grandpa had the most comfortable chair and we had to take turns to sit with him to prevent from fighting. I have few memories of Grandpa outside of the nursing home, because once his memory started fading, I was old enough to realize what was going on... It was painful for our family to watch our beloved Grandfather go the way he did, but every time we speak of him, my mom mentions that moment of clarity.  We could tell his condition was getting worse, we had the whole family in town to say goodbye (he got to meet his second-to-last grandson), and we stood around him, waiting.  Apparently, when I hugged him, everyone could see it in his eyes - those memories...knowing he was hugging his granddaughter. He had that moment of clarity, looked to the rest of his family, and told us he loved us. My grandpa died that night after we left.

LaBelle Brende is my idol - she was one of the most amazing women, friend, grandmother, and mom anyone could have.  She loved her children dearly, had tons of friends, and always saw the best in people.  Grandma was positive, always looking on the bright side, even making fun of herself when she said stupid things (like calling UGG boots "uggums"). One thing I miss about Grandma Belle is she always told me how beautiful my eyes are. She never hesitated to compliment anyone and always had something nice to say.  She was a fashionista, always wearing the nicest clothes, even when she wasn't feeling up to it. I want to be exactly like my grandma when I'm a grandma, because she was an all-around good person, and everyone enjoyed being in her presence.

The real truth is, I love my family with all my heart.  -Every single crazy, loud, and obscene part of them.  I couldn't ask for anything better and am truly blessed with what I've been given. Skeeter saw the strength in her mother, and became proud of her while watching her beat the cancer. I'm not mad about the time I didn't get with my grandparents, I thank God every day for the time he has given me with all of my family. So enjoy your family, make memories, and have a very happy Thanksgiving!