Sunday, March 8, 2009

Please read this and call someone....

Grandma Moon at her 85th Birthday Party (She is now 92) at our old house!
This is my family, my sister's family and my mother and father.Grandma Moon

This has been one of the hardest weeks for me in a very long time....
Monday or Tuesday is my treatment (It really doesn't matter, I am too tired to go anywhere and my nurse comes here) and I lost my calendar.
This post is really not to complain about being so tired,
but to tell you about my week and why I am so exhausted....
We just had to put my grandmother, who is a great, great grandmother, into a nursing home. She is 92 years young and in great shape and mental mind~ The problem... She broke her foot and she needs therapy! It is amazing how a nursing home can not only age the person going into it, but the person's family members.
No, Grandma Moon did not want to go in.
No, she is not happy there.
And No, SHE says SHE IS NOT GOING TO STAY!
This week for the first time in my life (I will be 49 years young this year) I raised my voice to my grandmother and told her to behave! It killed me and just remembering that afternoon emotionally drains me!
What I NEED TO TELL each and every one of you right now~
allow NOTHING to come in between you and your loved ones!
At the age of 30, when I was taken to my knees with death at my front door, I learned how to value each and every day. You surround yourself with the ones you love, with positive words and feelings and you allow your days to go GREAT no matter what!
That is what FREE CHOICE is ~
And that is what GOD gives us,
The gift of FREE CHOICE!
Basically this is the way that I explained it to Grandmother...
.
#1 ~ Each morning when I get out of bed, not matter how I feel, I choose to feel GREAT! I wake up Praising God for another day in this world with a smile on my face with the ones that I love.
#2 ~ I choose to ignore the people who want to bring me into their conflict or bring me down.
If I have to I don't go around them. And that includes family members.
#3 ~ I choose to always go out of my way to say thank you to everyone for everything. If others considers that "sucking up" well, that is their problem not mine.
#4 ~ I choose to love all people because that is what God tells me to do. Now, I can ignore them if they want to cause conflict and such but I still can love them. If they choose to change and be happy, I am there waiting.
#5 ~ I choose to use my time wisely, helping others.
#6 ~ I choose to do the right things, never hurting others or doing it on the back of others. Sometimes doing the right thing even means hurting me, but that is the example I have to set for my child.
#7 ~ I choose to always, ALWAYS tell the people that I love that I REALLY DO LOVE them and show them in the process! You never know what the next moment might bring and I might not be here to tell them and I sure do want them to know!
#8 ~ I choose not to drink because my grandfather (who everyone said was an incredibly, awesome, talented man) chose to drink, make bad decisions for his family, left my grandmother and family because of it and worse of all~ he died from it........ I never was able to get to know him and I sometimes wonder if that is where I get some of my ability to work with my hands so well.
I threw #8 in for some reason..... I guess because he is so much still a part of us and that was 47 years ago.

Here is a picture of a Bulletin Board I made for her
room hoping that it would make her feel better:

Here is also a short story that I wrote about her.
*When I was younger, I loved going to Grandma's house to stay. I would pick daffodils by the armfuls, run into the house and eagerly give these to her as though she had never received any before. Sunday lunch was on the table, ready for anyone that would enter the door. If we were lucky, my uncle would have raided the closest blackberry field for fresh blackberries and we would be treated to one of her yummy blackberry pies. Sunday afternoons would find us on the porch in rocking chairs until I would be bored stiff. More than likely, I would then choose to climb the highest of pecan trees only to get stuck and have to find my own way down (even if that meant breaking a bone). Sometimes we were lucky to play ball with our uncles, although they would usually loose our precious softballs in the nearby woods! Summers~ Oh the hot summers complete with watermelons and grandma's fresh homemade churned ice-cream! Grandma gave me so much~ the love of gardening, the excitement of summers, and the shoulder to cry on that many times I didn't deserve. At times she was the one that I ran to when I was upset or just needed to be hugged and comforted. She never really sided with me, but she never sided against me. She was just there to listen, to comfort~ I loved her for that! *Now that I am a grown woman, I admire my Grandma in so many different ways. I see a woman that stood where so many other women fell. I learn more about her everyday. I see a woman who raised four children by herself. I see a woman who made a path for other women in her day. I see a woman who took care of others and now others are taking care of her. I see a woman that is so loved even though she constantly speaks her mind. I see a woman of strength, of heart, of determination!
I see a woman that I dearly love with all my heart~
My Grandma!
Call someone now and tell them
You Love and Appreciate Them!
It will make Them feel good and Yourself!
If you have a few minutes and an extra card to send to her~
Just tell her that you are a friend from blogland!
Thank you so very much
Marion Moon
Park Place Nursing Facility
1865 Bold Springs Road
Monroe, Georgia 30655

7 comments:

Tiedupmemories said...

Awwww...Yvette what truly beautiful post! What a lovely family you have!Wishing your grandma a Happy Birthday! I take to heart what you wrote! We all need to be reminded that every day is precious and tomorrow may not be here.Thank you for this inspirational post and wish you a happy day!
Tracy

Jules from "The Roost" said...

What a sweet, wonderful post Yvette! I love the bulletin board you made her. That has to cheer her up!:)

Anonymous said...

Yvette, what an absolute loving Post for your Grandma Moon!
I can feel the love you have for her and I only can envision My own grand-daughter who is now seven years old, being there for me someday. We are so very close, and all you wrote reminds me of your relationship with Grandma Moon!
Flower picking, eating here in this victorian home which she feels like a "princess in".. when she comes here!
She and I have stories we share, gardens to share and we do art together. Our relationship is soooo like what you describe.
Thank you for posting..
Hugs, Darlene

Sue said...

You really touched me...I hope my grandchildren feel the same way toward me that you do toward your grandmother....I will be sending her a card and telling her what a special person you are...Now take care of yourself and I will remember you in my prayers...
Hugs
Sue

Sue said...

Yvette,
I saw this quote and thought of you...
"The Family is the nucleus of civilization"
Ariel & Will Durant

Hugs
Sue

Sit A Spell said...

Great post. I see Jules was here, but did not tell you that you won her give away! Enjoy!

Unknown said...

I loved this! Sending her a card tomorrow in the mail! You are such a blessing!

I was going to email you but I will just tell you here. I am a social worker, I don't know if you know that, and almost all of the people I work with HATE me at first. So last night I was meeting a lady for the first time and she was being SUPER mean and disgruntled. I looked down at my paper and saw she had your name so I said to her, before she could keep being mean, "You know, I have the SWEETEST friend with your name. I think all people with that name must be lovely." And you know what? She started to smile. She wanted to know if you lived in the same housing project as she did : ). I told her you live far away and then she told me she has never been out of PA. I told her that we have lots of states close to us and she should try to get to one of them this summer. Our whole visit was SO much smoother. All because of you : ).

The Charm House II

Charm House I

I will turn Blessings into Praise!

I will turn Blessings into Praise!