I have been feeling that there is too much negative press about Vernelle. As I speak Grandmother/Mother is looking at the (very outdated except for Heidi’s children and my grandchildren I might add) pictures on the refrigerator. She occasionally comments “Don’t I have the most beautiful Grandchildren in the world?” She asked me once to count them up for her and write it down on a piece of paper. She studied it a while and then wrote on the bottom “And they’re all mine!” She picks up the picture of Scarlett as a newly born 2 or 3 times a day. It takes her 15 minutes to walk down the hall to her room as she looks at the photos. She loves all of you very much.
Look around you at church or at Wal-mart (is there anywhere else to shop?) and see what shape most of the older people are in. I guarantee that most of them are at least 20 years older than Vernelle and in much worse physical condition. How many 90 year olds can walk 2 miles each morning in 45 minutes, picking up rocks off the ground as we go. Then she goes to work on her flowers and the plants in the side porch. She usually sweeps the cement around the house and hoses off the bird droppings out from under the tree out back.
Later she will come in and read the paper and often goes out again to see what Whett is doing in the garden. She does her own laundry, keeps her drawers in tip top order, and at night puts about an hour into putting the kitchen to bed as clean as a whistle. She loves to help, is always asking what she can do. We harvested over 100 butternut squash the other day and she picked them up and helped me load them into a wheelbarrow to store in the garage. I had to wrestle the wheelbarrow out of her hands J.
My grandchildren have been here a couple of times lately and have some delightful memories of their Great Grandmother. She is the one to go to for information about the turtles and any insect. They love taking walks with her because she points out all the tracks of the nocturnal animals. Her vision is awesome! She picked out a coatamunde up in a tree up by Danny John’s pond the other day. I looked just like a monkey sitting up there watching us. She also loves to track jet streams across the sky and is the first to hear an airplane.
As we all know, she struggles with her short term memory. She gets frustrated as she realizes more and more how difficult it is for her to think and remember. I find it inspiring that she always thinks it is Sunday! We also get frustrated at times, usually when we are trying to meet a time deadline. We learn from all the things that happen in our lives, and I feel certain that I need to increase in patience and compassion. I hope you all know how much she loves you and asks about you. If you want to send email messages to her and pictures I will pass them on to her. When you think about the holidays remember her love of pictures.
Please know that she loves you very much and keep her (and us) in your prayers.
Love Aunt Diana
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