This beautiful lady is Chris' Granny. She is one of the most precious, beautiful, loving people I have ever known. But it's been a long time since I've heard her laugh, really laugh.
Yesterday, my in-laws moved her into a a nursing home right by our house. We are all so excited to have her so close, but I wasn't sure how she'd fair with the long drive from Georgia and the confusion of the move piled onto her Alzheimers. So, I went to see her today and check out her new digs. At first, she shared with me some of her frustration. She's still not sure where she is. And she wishes she could move around more. And she sees some of the other residents and thinks there's something wrong with them and not sure why she's there too. But I could see an improvement already in her confidence and demeanor. She seemed more lucid and looked better. I was uncertain as to if I was really seeing this or it was just wishful thinking. Until I took her to supper...
We rolled down to the dining hall, and I set her up next to a nice looking lady named Mrs. Ada Bell. Granny initiated conversation with her (a huge improvement!) and I stepped away to speak to someone. When I came back, I saw that the nurse had placed an order ticket in front of Granny. So I squatted down to look at it and explain to her what it was for. Mrs. Ada said, "Do you want to take my ticket too?"
I said, "No ma'am. I'm not taking the tickets."
"Well," Mrs. Ada said with a humph and a tight smile.
"I don't work here, Mrs. Ada. I'm just visiting Ethel."
Nothing
"This is my granddaughter." Granny said.
"What did she say?" Mrs. Ada said.
I repeated, "She said that I'm her granddaughter."
"Well, I'm sorry for her." Mrs. Ada said loudly.
I looked at Granny, she looked at me, and we both burst out laughing. And we laughed until tears started. Then we looked at each other and both started giggling again.
It is pure joy to hear her laugh. Even if it was because Mrs. Ada didn't like me.
