My Beloved Grandma Kay

My beloved Grandma Kay was a traveler. She went to Ireland for a few months in her 60's in a rented VW Bus with her brother and sister-in-law. She rode the ferry up to Whitehorse, Alaska a few times and regaled us with the tales. She and her man-friend, Kermit, made several driving trips up and down the west coast from Oregon through Mexico. They rode the train from Quebec to Vancouver one summer, and she always came home with funky, oversized turquoise jewelry. (Thanks grandma!)

My grandma taught me a lot about myself when I was willing to pay her mind. I like to think that I am somewhat like her - the good parts of her I hope.

And so... I am both a traveler and a reader. Grandma Kay instilled a love of reading in my bones when I was a snip of a thing. She loved romance and history and mysteries and the Bible and Reader's Digest too. She would read to me for hours cuddled up together on her big orange couch.

When I was little, my grandma would read me this poem, but always changed the last line:

There was a little girl

Who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead.

And when she was good

She was very very good

And when she was bad

She was Debbie.

 

That last word is supposed to be "horrid." Hilarious.

Like my grandma, I will read anything. I love books, newspapers, magazines, fiction, non-fiction, and my Twitter-feed. Perusing the latest issue of Oprah Magazine I came across an article entitled "20 Questions Every Woman Should Ask Herself" and one of the questions is:

Do I Have Enough Fun?

 

I'm pretty sure that I do have enough fun. Some might think I have too much fun while others may think there's always room for more. I believe that fun is a necessary endeavor to fill our lives with joy. The ability to capture moments of fun and spontaneity along with visiting new places, trying new foods, and sampling new beer is well worth my efforts. My grandma's life was not an easy one. She married an alcoholic and went back to college at age 40 to become a nurse. But she lived a life that was filled with fun. Our fun was shared (with lots of hugs and love) - reading, shopping, and day-tripping in Southern California.









Everybody has their own sense of fun in this world and mine, well...

Today and every day, I choose JOY.

 

 

 

My grandma saved me in so many ways. I'll forever be grateful for her presence in my life. That and a love for crispy fried chicken.

I miss her every day.

Deb (her #1 GD)