Grandma Pat

As is usual for a Sunday morning, me and the DH went to Annie's for bfast. Our daughter is now the hostess and after getting a seat at the bar we were joined shortly by a wonderful lady everyone calls Grandma Pat. Sitting on the left side of the DH, she commenced to start to talk and didn't let up until we had hugged her goodbye. What a delight! She was like a shining star in the night sky. She is so full of love and life it's impossible not to like her. She can talk sports, which her and the DH did almost nonstop. In between the sports talk, she revealed a little more about herself and I just wanted to share...

She told us her husband had passed away, but before he did they were regular at Annie's for well over 40 years. She had seen 5 owners of the place and thought Annie's was by and far the best yet. She has lived in LE for most of her life. She recently found out she has cancer. Now you would think that would be enough to damper a person's spirit, but she is not that kind of person to stay down for too long. She said she went to the Doctor to learn the test results and the Dr said to her, "You know you have cancer, right?" She replied, "I figured. My Grandmother had it and so did my Mother. Figured it was my turn." The Dr told her if she had just come in when she had noticed the first sign it would have been easier on her. The first sign was an inverted nipple. (I'm not kidding.) She told the Dr she doesn't keep a mirror in the house where she can see past her neck because she just doesn't need to. He asked her if she didn't look at herself in the mirror and she said she avoided it and that if she had she wouldn't have noticed the inverted nipple because hers are pointing DOWN anyways. I thought I would fall off the bar stool I was laughing so hard. She grabbed our bill when the waitress dropped it off and said she was paying. We looked at each other like we couldn't believe it. Why were we so surprised? I'll get to that..

She said one day she was sitting at a table by herself and her arm had been hurting her from the lymph nodes where she has the cancer and she was feeling sorry for herself and all that when a family came in. Husband, wife and their new baby. The husband didn't have a left arm. It looked like it had been cut off right above the elbow. So as GMa Pat sat there next to them she started to kick herself because she had two good arms and was mad for feeling sorry for herself when here was this man with only one good arm and he couldn't be happier about his life. So on her way out she paid for the family's breakfast. She says she does this all the time because it makes her feel good to do it and she likes to do it anonymously. So she's walking to her car and the guy comes running up and says, "Thank you for buying our breakfast, but I got to ask you why you did.." She told him how she had been feeling sorry for herself and how seeing him so happy with his new baby and beautiful wife had lifted her spirits and she did it for herself. The man was so touched he got all teary eyed and they hugged and come to find out he had been born without the arm.

So what you guys don't know is that my very own DH does exactly the same thing. If we are sitting at a table or the counter and start chatting with someone or if he sees someone he thinks is special or interesting he will tell the waitress he wants to buy their meal and to keep it quiet. I thought how cool after all these times of paying for other's meals someone finally was repaying the favor to my DH. He and Pat were instant friends and I can see her becoming a part of his life.

I will try and get a pic of Grandma Pat soon. Hugging her is a delight as she is all soft and "squishy" like old women are. Our daughter says she loves hugging her for that very reason.

Craft Note: I am promoting my blankets today.

Surprise Scarp #5

Warm Brown Ripple

Check out this site: Inklore

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Wayfarer" by Jay Nash. Yep - Birdman, Mama has done it again. I have fallen for another singer she turned me on to!