Grandmother Grateful

It's been a few months since I've blogged, but I'm back. I recently had the privilege of going to Las Vegas to celebrate my maternal grandmother's 90th birthday. What a life she has lived! If you stop to think about it, she has seen the inventions of:

• 1925 Modern day can opener
• 1927 Aerosol can
• 1929 Car radio
• 1930 Jet engine
• 1931 Electric razor
• 1932 Electric can opener
• 1934 Zippo lighter
• 1935 Radar
• 1937 Dirt Devel
• 1939 Helicopter
• 1940 Modern color television
• 1941 Artificial heart
• 1943 Slinky
• 1944 Kidney dialysis machine
• 1945 Clock Radio
• 1946 Disposable Diapers
• 1950 Alkaline batteries
• 1951 Power steering
• 1953 Black box flight recorder
• 1956 Behind the ear hearing aid
• 1958 Pacemaker
• 1959 Black and Decker cordless drill
• 1960 Stereos/hi-fi
• 1961 Kodak Instamatic
• 1962 LED
• 1968 Smoke detector
• 1969 The internet
• 1970 Digital thermometer
• 1971 Pocket calculator
• 1973 The ethernet
• 1975 Kodak digital camera
• 1976 Lithium batteries
• 1980 Sony Walkman
• 1981 Epson HX-20 world's first laptop
• 1983 Commodore 64
• 1984 Sony Discman
• 1985 Leatherman
• 1986 Bose headphones
• 1987 Camcorder
• 1988 Digital mobile phones
• 1989 World Wide Web
• and much more!

Wow! That's quite a list, not to mention she has lived through World War 2, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Afghanistan, and the war on terrorists. She's also lived through 15 sitting Presidents, including some who've been elected for two terms. 

My grandmother was married to an Air Force pilot who was career military, served in three wars, and retired as a Lt. Col. He preceded her in death in 1991. She raised three children during difficult times; while her husband was stationed in other countries; during the Cold War when my grandfather was working at the Pentagon; and during the 60's and 70's when teenage rebellion was rampant. Yet, my grandmother will tell you she's lived through the best times our country has seen. 

My grandmother is the classiest lady I have ever met. She has been the maternal stable figure in my life for as long as I can remember. She has morphed into a legend of class, beauty, and sophistication. What an honor to get to walk through my life with her and to celebrate such a milestone birthday. I hope my beautiful grandmother lives to be a healthy centenarian because I honestly don't know what I would do without her!

Chevron

Have you ever really noticed the chevron pattern? It's wildly popular and comes in many different colors. As I ponder the pattern, I notice the zig-zags, the peaks and valleys, the sharp v's. This can be a parallel to my life. Do you ever feel like you are on top of the world one minute, and take a sharp dive the next? As I watched my grandson play basketball at the state tournament, I was so elated and proud, caught up in the moment of victory with his team-only to turn around and start crying uncontrollably. The reason? A memory of my son playing at the state tournament stabbed my heart and slammed me down. How can so many conflicting emotions exist simultaneously? The human mind and heart are mysterious, marvelous, and cryptic. I'm thankful that the Creator opens His arms for me to run into no matter where I am on that chevron pattern, and that He fearfully and wonderfully made me.