Don't Mess with My Old, BFF's

This week's been interesting. Suddenly, email opened, a stranger has responded to an old LaVega classmate's comments regarding politics and today's situations...and bzzzzzzz. I reacted. Why? Let's just say when the remainder of our 110 graduates from the Class of '67, LaVega High School, has managed to stay connected this many years (via email)...ya don't take cheap shots from the 'nosebleed section!'
A stranger who knows nothing about us managed to launch some 'not so nice' labels and then moved on into the world. I responded and I did it for the intruder to prove a point. All of us went out into the world to do many things in life. Many of us attended colleges and universities, many of us did not. That doesn't matter. Success is success labeled with the same spelling and it didn't/does not require higher education for all.
I've had that on my mind today because I feel I jumped, reacted and shared insights that may have somehow insulted some of my fellow LVHS grads. That was not my intention at all. I just wanted the stranger to 'butt out' of our class communique and move on to her own territory where she does know people, places and things.
As I have thought about the comments back and forth, the world's situation and the price of gas (falling, finally)...I paused to ponder...why am I so focused on all of these issues? I have a major life change just around the corner and it's deep and wide. Of course, I become less wide once it's done and that's a positive.
Daily, in the back of my mind, my thoughts trail ahead in the scheme of time. It's saying..last Thanksgiving feast, last Christmas with all the goodies, last chance to eat Mexican food, etc. At least it hasn't registered The 'Last Supper'!! Whew! That's a good thing.
Imagine this...you are going to be required to consume 65 grams of protein a day after surgery. Now that's amazing, you think. How so? It comes in mixes, in round tubes you can carry in your purse, in the form of prepped protein ready to swallow, etc. Now, those 65 grams have to channel through a one ounce pouch. OUCH! You mean I can no longer consume all those things which do not eat me first? Awe, mannnnn.
But then, a brighter light ignites in the gray matter. Imagine down the road, -30, -60, -100...now that's something to ponder. Go figure! Me...minus another person! Yeee hawww! Let's do it.
Nothing is impossible. We live life. We face challenges. We defend our old classmates. We SURVIVE! I've done it once, can do it again. As I sat and thought about 'stuff' today, I thought of my sweet, sweet gramma Davis. Nancy Elizabeth Davis.
She was mother of 10 children in the days of depression. They had an Uncle Charlie that lived with them for a long time. She prepared three square meals a day, made the bread and desserts for every meal...and then, cleaned up to do it all again. She was a remarkable woman.
In her later years, she struggled with congestive heart failure and lived with her children for months at a time. I delighted in her time 'with us' in the country. She had long, silver hair that was wound up in a tight little knot on the back of her head. Her soft, blue eyes would look at you and her thin lips would curve into a smile that said, "I love your heart. Spend some time with me."
Gramma spent all of her days lying down on the bed with a fancy foot pillow under her ankles. She propped her feet 24/7 to help with the edema she experienced. If you wanted to play, she was there. If you needed a hug, she was there. If you needed a friend and maybe some quiet time, she was there. Karram, Go Fish, Old Maid...all games that she'd play til the cow's came home.
Her love overflowed and her love for family was beyond all others. She had birthed today's DAVIS CLAN (what we called ourselves each summer at reunions) and had survived life. I was thirteen when she passed. My heart was broken, but life moved on.
When I pause and remember those days, I can see her frail outline, dressed in the soft blue plaid seersucker dress in summer. I can recall the Daniel Green slippers that nestled her feet and the soft handkerchief she held all the time. Her hankies always had flowers on them and they were just a part of her. When she walked to the car for a doctor's visit or to come out to our farm, she walked with someone on either side of her, holding her frail arms and guiding her every step.
She depended on us. She trusted us. She loved us.
Remembering her adds to my confidence in this ROUND TOIT deal I have on-going. I am not frail. I can walk, bowl, drive and cause trouble at all hours of the day. I have strength, courage (I'm working on as I type) and a strong will to be the best at whatever. Thus, challenging, but doable.
I feel that everyone is capable of accomplishing all things they set their minds to do. It takes effort, thought, process and purpose. I have all of the specialists lined up in my half-court, waiting for the time to pass when I have met Aetna's required six month requirement in December. All I have to do is DO IT!!
In the meantime...I will probably react again, if a stranger takes on an old BFF. I certainly would react if it were my family. What would I do differently? Perhaps think 15 seconds longer before I react.
Oh, one of our classmates responded saying perhaps we should just go back to giving information, events, etc. My response was why? We all have the power to make a choice and act on it. In this day and age of computers and keyboards, it's described with six letters...
D E L E T E. Problem solved!