we were young and crazy, too

this weekend we were at my grandmom's house. there are so many special things about that lady. she is rich in wisdom, spunk, and secret recipes. she is 87 but not a day past 50. as far as i'm concerned, she will live forever. end of story. 


we had a party saturday night and many of her "couple friends" from the past 50 years came. people i'd never met. people she can't remember not knowing. it's funny when you realize again that your grandparents used to be newlyweds. and they used to have crazy groups of "couple friends" too. friends who played practical jokes. had all night parties. friends who went on camping trips and smashed pies in each other's faces. stole the boys clothes while they were showering. bought a giant bra and passed it along as a gag gift for years and years, even baked it into a birthday cake. friends who raised their children together, did projects together, waited for their navy men to arrive home after months over seas together. grew, grew old, grew older together, took care of one another when they got sick. took care of one another when they began losing their spouses, their best friends.


we listened to story after story. everyone was belly laughing as they all recalled memories. "this is only the start of it...we were young and crazy, too" was the conclusion of each story.


i'm not afraid of growing old. i might be a little afraid of losing loved ones. maybe a lot afraid. we have "couple friends" now. we'll probably make more throughout the years. and someday we'll all be old too. i want to be sure we have stories to share with all four generations in the room. stories that inspire belly laughs and also damp eyes, remembering the lost loved ones. those who were key elements in every story. 


my grandfather wasn't at this party. we all missed him. we have been missing him for about eleven years now. especially grandmom. she is joyful, but she is lonely too. who wouldn't be? she lives in the house that he helped build. where they raised all three of their boys. when we leave she is sad and tells us, "if you are going to go, go on and go." and we do. but not because we want to. we love that lady so much.


do you still have grandparents that are alive? what do you love about them? do you have friends you imagine growing old with? what memories will you sit around and tell your children's children? i'm feeling sentimental on this monday morning. maybe i should watch this movie soon:

happy new week friends. :)