Grandma Jackie Turns 90

“The complete life, the perfect pattern, includes old age as well as youth and maturity.  The beauty of the morning and the radiance of noon are good, but it would be a very silly person who drew the curtains and turned on the light in order to shut out the tranquility of the evening.  Old age has its pleasures, though different, they are not less than the pleasures of youth.” ~W. Somerset Maugham

  

We had decided long ago that there would be an open house style party for her, with an extensive guest list.  When it started getting closer, and we started talking about a party, she was not in favor of the idea.  Eventually it came out that she didn’t think anyone would come.  I would say there were close to 100 people there.  Guess that was silly concern on her part:)

It was simple, just cake, a few munchies, and lots of seats for people to fill.  It was a sweet mix of family, old friends, church friends, neighborhood friends, and new friends from her independent living facility. 

 

Grandma never stopped greeting, hugging, and talking!  It was 3 straight hours of people!  Luckily we had a few minutes before it started to bring her in and show her the set up.

The girls painted a lighthouse for her as a gift.  It had plenty of sides, so each girl did one.

Emily put together a 15 minute slideshow to music.  We let it play the whole time, but Grandma got to watch it up close before the party started.  The kids gathered around while she told them about the early pictures, and they found themselves in the later.

Imagine watching your whole 90 years flash before you! What an incredible amount of joy, sadness, accomplishment, regret, and change can happen over 90 years. 

Grandma Jackie is truly loved by everyone she meets.  She is not like other “old” people.  Yes, she has aches and pains and complaints, but who wouldn’t:)  She is a pleasure to talk to.  I know many older(and not so old) people who are just self absorbed.  All they can talk about is themselves, their needs, and their problems.  Grandma is the opposite.  She can talk intelligently on current events, and always listens as much as she speaks.  She is a true role model for our family, and I am so thankful my girls will have such strong memories of her.

When the party was over we tossed around some ideas of stopping for dinner on our way home(it’s a 2 hour drive).  Mark came up with the idea of getting pizza and eating in Grandma’s apartment.  It was the perfect way to end the day!