It seems like this year has been the worst year of my life ever. My Grandma passes away, we have a semi costly repair to our new car (bought used last fall) and just this last Friday I was laid off. (Hopefully to return back within a few weeks if not sooner.) While all of this has gotten me down in the past and I have to admit it did affect me quite a bit this year, one lesson that Grandma has helped me learn is that when life hands you lemons, squeeze the heck out of them and make lemonade (but make sure to save the rind.)
My Grandma was a resourceful woman. Whether it was coupons or her stockpile of items in her basement or her multitude of craft items, it seems that grandma could figure out a way to make things work. She always made lemonade out of lemons. She wouldn't let me get down on things. Sure I could cry with her but before I would leave after spilling my sorrows out on the dining room table as we'd sit talking, she would help me come to some sort of conclusion to what I needed to do or how she could help me figure things out. I saw the things that my Grandma sacrificed for others so that she could help them out. And she was a saver....boy, was she a saver! It wasn't uncommon for her to clean and wash in the sink with soap the tv meal plates, plastic plates and plastic silver wear, and even an occasional plastic cup or two in order to reuse them again. While so many would just throw these items out, she would make them spotless and use them a few more times in order to save from having to buy more. A penny saved was a penny earned. Some would call that a cheapskate. Grandma called that resourceful!
It's not easy being positive when life is dragging you down. Shortly after her leukemia diagnosis when we brought Grandma home, I went and kneeled by her to talk to her to see if she understood the whole diagnosis and everything that was going on. Grandma said to me that she had "Blood Cancer" and that they call it Leukemia. The next thing she said would have made most people think that she might have been in denial about the illness. I knew better. Her next words were, "There is no cure, but now that I am home again, I know that it will get better."
Grandma wasn't meaning that the Leukemia would get better or cured. Rather, Grandma was telling me that now she was at home with all of us that she could be at peace. That she could be positive about the illness and was ready to deal with her impending death. For the many years she spoke to me about how she was afraid to die, she had realized that these next few days with her family were all she needed for everything to be better and for her to be ready to pass from this life into the next. She was handed a lemon when her diagnosis came....and she made lemonade.
Each memory and lesson I have learned is that penny saved and my penny earned. However, it is more like a penny saved but a priceless amount earned. What Grandma gave me and left me with as a person is enough to get me through all the tough times I have been through this year. Now, in my head I think daily WWGD...What Would Grandma Do?
Starfish is this week's color. This is from
my own personal collection.
my own personal collection.
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