All I could do was grin. This is exactly what my last post was about! How wonderful that even Dove is reminding people to slow down and remember what's important!
And just to go into this a bit more: I was forwarded a link to a video today that absolutely melted my heart. It was this little old lady, Dorothy Custer, who appeared on Jay Leno sometime this past summer. She had turned 100 years old just a few weeks prior to her television debut, and boy, she was still sharp as a tack... and so whitty! She was born in 1911, when bread was just 5 cents. She stilled played the harmonica like she 'owned it'. She said her secret to longevity was to 'think positive' and 'exercise every day' (she stopped doing the splits when she was 91 b/c her husband thought she ought not hurt herself.... who am I kidding, I can't even do them now! HA). She has been married to 'just Marvin' for 68 years, saying his name still with a twinkle in her eye. And when asked about the greatest/worst inventions, she answered the microwave/credit card. Now... does that give you an idea of just what we take for granted? She's excited about the microwave so she doesn't have to cook, yet we see people loose their mind if they have to wait just a few extra minutes for their fast food at MickyD's... or better yet, many of us don't remember life withOUT a microwave! You can check out the video here and I think you'll see why I had to watch and listen to this cute little lady several times!
But as I watched and listened to her, I couldn't help but think of my loving grandparents. I'm fortunate at my age, to still have two wonderful little ladies in my life, both my dad & my mom's mothers. Neither one of my Grandma's are 100 years old but I still can't imagine the experiences and changes they have seen over their years. Both of my grandpa's have passed away over the last 5 years, but each set was married over 50 years (over 60 years for my maternal grandparents). Over the years, I still enjoy asking questions about how they met, what they did for 'fun', what it was like 'growing up' etc. All my grandparents were raised 'poor' in their terms. They lived through the great depression, saw times of war, lots of different presidents, and many new inventions. Have you ever sat down and asked this generation about these times? Have you spoke to them about what it was like to not have indoor plumbing, to never go out to eat except maybe a couple times a YEAR, to always wear hand-me-down or home-made clothes, or what 5 cents could buy them? If you haven't taken the time to ask things like this, I highly suggest it. I made myself a little 'note book' in which I write all these little 'stories' in. We all know life is not forever, but at least I have wonderful memories of those conversations held over a cup of coffee or a home cooked meal when they're not longer physically present.
One of my most favorite stories is one in which my Grandpa (mom's dad) told me not too much before he passed. This was about when he was 10 or 11, during the Great Depression. He said on Saturdays, IF his family could afford it, his parents would give each child (there were 4) a penny to spend when they went 'to town'. Now, you could imagine my response "Papa, what the heck could a penny buy you?" He then went on to tell me that if they could get 10 kids together, they could buy a watermelon and would sit outside the store, crack it on the sidewalk, and enjoy the sweetness of that well earned fruit. But if there weren't enough kids around, he would go to the drug store and by a bag of penny candy. This candy would then have to last him (at least) all week... or until the next penny was given. This same Grandpa is one who never took a loan out in his life...he told me 'if you can't pay for it, you don't need it'. For years, my Grandma would 'recycle' aluminum foil because it's just so expensive (I think she is finally 'over' doing this thank you to my mom, sister, cousins etc). In a generation today that is so severly effected by debt, maybe we should all take a step back and see what worked for previous generations. Some people today may call our grandparents 'cheap' because they aren't constantly buying new 'stuff', but to me, they saw life for what it's worth... family and hard-work.
So look around... how much 'stuff' do you really need? We (including myself) so quickly forget the importance of a meaningful deep conversation and good company. We find ourselves working harder and more hours, to make more money, just to buy more 'stuff'. Imagine, at one point in life, a penny and a watermelon was all it took to make someone happy. It's all about the small things people.....
Love,
Jacey
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