Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: CHILL (10/27/16)
-
TITLE: Endearing Qualities | Previous Challenge Entry
By Teresa Odden
10/31/16 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
She seemed to be one of the few elderly persons that could get away with wearing ruby red lipstick. I loved caressing her hands because they were soft and supple. I never figured out her beauty secret. Perhaps it was due to her small frame and transparent skin.
In her old age she shrunk at least five inches. As her grandkids grew, it was important for them to point out how tall they were compared to her. They would regularly pat the top of her head.
One obvious change the family seemed to ignore was loss of hearing. Her children decided she had selective hearing and chose to ignore people. I wasn’t convinced.
I would visit often and the moment you walked up the stairs, the television was blasting. One could barely hear themselves and a simple hello was unheard, but the hugs and kisses spoke louder than words.
A fond memory was her greeting. When I entered, I was directed to the couch where she patted the cushion and said, “sit, sit”. She handed you a plate of windmill, gingersnap cookies. Not wanting to disappoint, I took one. I don’t know what it’s about the elderly, but these cookies seem to be a staple in their homes.
After, I was ushered into the kitchen for a delicious, hot meal. She rarely ate with me. I think she found more pleasure watching me enjoy her cooking.
As soon as the last bite was down, the plate was swooped away. Silently, she would leave the room and return with the candy dish. It was usually filled with hard, spiced candies that had been sitting around far too long. I never liked them.
Unable to refuse grandma, I would grab a piece and without fail, they were fused together and stuck to the bottom of the glass bowl. It never seemed to phase her that it was time to throw them out. Like dinner, she didn’t take one. They were for guests.
Grandma was a contented woman, which put you at ease. Despite her calm disposition, she couldn’t sit for long. I contributed her longevity to the fact that she walked outdoors twice a day and typically roamed the house. She was a wanderer and needed to keep moving.
A delightful memory stands out that still causes me to chuckle today. She came to visit my family in Michigan. It’s was a beautiful summer day with temperatures reaching 100 degrees with high humidity. Despite the growl of the air condition, it was one of those days that it was simply hot no matter where you stood.
My grandmother was strolling the house, looking, probing around for who knows what, while rubbing her hands together. Dressed in her typical attire of stripes, plaids, and colors only grandma could get away with, she kept telling us how chilled her hands were. I didn’t think much of it because she had pants on, a blouse, and a cardigan sweater.
My husband walked into the house and suddenly shouts, “Why is it so hot in here?” He stopped, peeped at the air condition thermostat to discover that grandma had turned the air condition off and cranked up the heat. It was sweltering inside.
There are peculiar behaviors of the elderly, like rising at 4:00am to clean the house, that I don’t understand. Some seniors I don’t want to be around because of their stubborn, rude behavior I attribute to simply being tired of life itself.
There are times the younger generation, including myself, would like to tell the miserable old person to simply chill out, but I know that all too soon I will be among them. I don’t know what my behaviors will be, but I hope I can have the endearing personality traits of my grandmother, Zenep.
I found much pleasure being in her presence and I hope my loved ones visit because they want to and not because they feel obligated to. Perhaps the way for loved ones to come and relax is to have a stock of windmill, gingersnap cookies and stale candies on hand at all times. It worked for me.
“Show respect to the aged; honor the presence of an elder; fear your God...” Leviticus 19:32
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
One editing suggestion is to check your tenses. A couple of times you jumped to present tense.
Your piece was an easy read but seemed to have a spot or two that could be touched up.