Getting up there
Today was my grandfather's 80th birthday and we celebrated with a cookout at my aunt and uncle's (well really it was takeout from White Fence Farm, and the pulled pork my dad made, along with the beans my mom left in Aunt Nancy's oven and forgot about until about 9 p.m., when we got our second snacking wind with ice cream and.....beans.)
A good time was had by all, despite the heat and the bugs and the inevitable political discussion Mr. Bear and my uncles get up to at every family occasion, ever. I've been kind of dreading this party, though. I can't believe my grandparents are both 80. When did we all get so old?
We've been pretty lucky with our family, I must admit. My mom's five siblings and their spouses and children are pretty healthy, everyone's pretty happy; there have been many good years of family cookouts, vacations and the like. A lot of togetherness. Things haven't really changed over the years. We still have the same yearly parties, at the same location with the same food and the same people. I like that.
I guess I'm just worrying about some future unforseeable catastrophe that I can't help. But Grandma and Grandpa are getting older and it's starting to show. I think the first big clue came when my grandfather had to use a walker at my wedding last October. He has diabetes and trouble walking nowadays. I barely remember way back when he still owned the hardware store and we used to visit him at work and play up in the store's attic.
There's no need to get myself all worked up at the moment, because I can't change what's going to happen. The only thing I can affect is the amount of time worrying about this whole silly thing. Grandpa's still doing OK. Hell, his own mother only died a few years ago, at 94. But I still worry sometimes.
A good time was had by all, despite the heat and the bugs and the inevitable political discussion Mr. Bear and my uncles get up to at every family occasion, ever. I've been kind of dreading this party, though. I can't believe my grandparents are both 80. When did we all get so old?
We've been pretty lucky with our family, I must admit. My mom's five siblings and their spouses and children are pretty healthy, everyone's pretty happy; there have been many good years of family cookouts, vacations and the like. A lot of togetherness. Things haven't really changed over the years. We still have the same yearly parties, at the same location with the same food and the same people. I like that.
I guess I'm just worrying about some future unforseeable catastrophe that I can't help. But Grandma and Grandpa are getting older and it's starting to show. I think the first big clue came when my grandfather had to use a walker at my wedding last October. He has diabetes and trouble walking nowadays. I barely remember way back when he still owned the hardware store and we used to visit him at work and play up in the store's attic.
There's no need to get myself all worked up at the moment, because I can't change what's going to happen. The only thing I can affect is the amount of time worrying about this whole silly thing. Grandpa's still doing OK. Hell, his own mother only died a few years ago, at 94. But I still worry sometimes.