The reality of invincibility...or the lack thereof
My father left my mother when I was 12. Yes, I come from a broken home, but i myself am not broken. The result of my dad's absence was my grandparents filling the void. We lived out in the country and my grandparents lived within walking distance. They served as parental units #2 and #3. They cooked for us, provided for us and spoiled us rotten. I had a great childhood through their continuous effort and care. They attended every home basketball game and were always yelling for me and throwing whatever was loose at the ref if they thought he wasnt calling the game fairly (grandma did that...no ref ever had the heart to eject an elderly woman from the gym...rock on g-ma!) They always told me how proud they were of me and funded many of my activities when my mother couldnt. I will always be eternally grateful for the effort they put into my raisings. My granda has been in the hospital three different times since March for various reasons. She's had terrible health most of her life, but lately lots of different ailments have been rearing their ugly heads. It's odd to see her hospitalized so regularly. She looks so near death every time she goes in and then miraculously bounces back to seemingly "ok" health. Then in the blink of an eye, she's back in the hospital getting antibiotics and blood transfusions. It saddens me to think of my grandparents being weak and frail. It hurts me, and I dont know how to deal with it on the whole. They were superhumans. Nothing could stop them, nothing could hurt them and there was never a question they couldnt answer. They are truly wonderful people, and as they get older (80 and 78) the sweeter and more splended they become. I see them as my parent partners with my mom. I'm not sure my mom could have raised us as well without them there. I dont know how to handle these invincible people becoming weak by the invisible kryptonite of age. They're Godly and ready to meet their maker, but I'm not quite ready for them make the aquaintence. I will be 21 on July 11th...I'm extremely lucky that I got this long with my grandparents, and even luckier that they have been here every minute of my life as pillars, shoulders, providers and friends. I will miss them out of selfishness...and I know this.