I almost won the poker game on Monday night. I was so close. Man I was playing with skill. I ended up going head's up with my neighbor Todd. He is the Korean guy that lives next door. Head's up is when it's down to two people. We played till 3:00am. I finally went all in. He had a better hand.
Back in the day, my grandmother on my mom's side, was a pretty adventurous lady. Might be where I get some of my craziness. She was kind of the life of the party. She died several years ago. But when I was young, I remember her being extremely active. She was about 5'6" tall and maybe 105 lbs. She was little. She was also very overactive. She could get more done in a few minutes than some people could in an hour. She was also always doing crazy things. Riding in a car with her was like a potential death sentence.
My grandparents seemed to always have a new Buick. Back in the 70's and early 80's that meant that they owned a land yacht. Those things were huge. And, there were no seatbelt or child restraint laws. Kids just ran around the car jumping from front to back and then back to front. I used to lay up in the back window. I remember one time riding with my grandmother, Jimmy Louise was her name. She was whipping that big, Blue, Buick around like a red headed step-child. It was great. Maybe that is where I began to feel this sense of adventure. Who knows? She was wild.
Once my maw maw, as I called her, had read a book called Total Woman. There was a part in there about how to make your man happy or something like that. Well, the book said that you should get a pair of boots. When your husband comes home from a long day at work, you should greet him just wearing the boots. Well, she thought that sounded like a good idea. So, she got some boots. One afternoon, she was waiting in the back of the house. She heard the door open. She felt this would be a good time to make her entry. I guess a "good time to make entry" was relative to who would be waiting for her. She rounded the corner into the den and there sat my grandfather's cousin and his family. Needless to say, it wasn't the warm reception she was probably looking for.
When I think of how crazy it was for my grandmother to walk naked into a living room just wearing boots, I can't help but laugh. I think it is funny. I am sure she was embarassed. But, I bet she laughed when she told the story later. Her cousin probably didn't see the humor in it at the time. Maybe he did. Either way, it sure is funny today.
There are a lot of things that I look back on and laugh about. Some of them were even embarassing at the time or even horrible. But today, I can glance back and laugh my head off. That's why I love this story about my grandmother. It was so her. It is so real. She was freakin funny. And, while she lived, she lived some full moments that keep on giving even today.
My grandmother's life was hard and marked with extreme tragedy at times. She was married at the age of 16. She came from a very large and maybe dysfunctional family. All she knew was hard labor as a child. After marriage, she had a family. Her son, Jimmy, was tragically killed on the job at the age of 22 after being married 4 months earlier. Her marriage would fall apart. From there, her life would slowly eek away from her. It was very tough. But, there were good moments in all of it. There were Buick rides, naked boot-wearing days, and much more. Up until the end, she lived a pretty full life, not a perfect one but a full one. Even though the end was probably somewhat lonely for her, she still lived big. There were people who loved her and remembered good things, and made the best of things. And, the last of life is only the last of life. It isn't the totality of one's living.
I think that a lot of people misunderstand real living. So many live so cautiously because they are afraid that what others think will determine who they are. Many even hide their true selves for fear of looking weak and helpless. Hell, everyone is weak and helpless. No sense in disguising what is inherently true of everyone.
I love real people who live life raw. You know what I am talking about? They are the kind of people that when you ask them a question you don't get a bs (Note that I am a bit sensitive to my readers, hence the abreviation) answer. You just get the truth. Man that sure is refreshing. That is the kind of woman Maw Maw Martin was. She was living large in the moment.
Some people live small. Small living people measure out life in increments of logic and reason only. Not that these things are not good. They are when they are balanced with freedom and spirit. Small living people never see the top of the mountain in fear that the journey is too treacherous. Small living people don't cross the sea because the water is too deep, too scarey. People who live small never risk loving or giving because the risk of being hurt is too great. My thought is that it isn't just a risk, it is a certainty at some point.
Big living people laugh a lot. They cry a lot. They go a lot of places. Even if they don't travel far, they take in whatever there is to see and do. They ask few questions like, is it worth it? Seldom do you see them laboring over the pro's and cons. Please understand that being reasonable at times is good. Don't take this to an extreme. If you are saying, "I can't believe that someone would be so careless," you probably live small. But every once in a while live big. One day life will end. Don't get hung up on the small stuff. Don't quit because of mistakes. Live!
"The thief comes to only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and havve it abundantly," (John 10:10).
I encourage you to live abundantly. In Christ it is your pleasure to live in the fullness of God
I love you, your servant, your friend,
Tim
Back in the day, my grandmother on my mom's side, was a pretty adventurous lady. Might be where I get some of my craziness. She was kind of the life of the party. She died several years ago. But when I was young, I remember her being extremely active. She was about 5'6" tall and maybe 105 lbs. She was little. She was also very overactive. She could get more done in a few minutes than some people could in an hour. She was also always doing crazy things. Riding in a car with her was like a potential death sentence.
My grandparents seemed to always have a new Buick. Back in the 70's and early 80's that meant that they owned a land yacht. Those things were huge. And, there were no seatbelt or child restraint laws. Kids just ran around the car jumping from front to back and then back to front. I used to lay up in the back window. I remember one time riding with my grandmother, Jimmy Louise was her name. She was whipping that big, Blue, Buick around like a red headed step-child. It was great. Maybe that is where I began to feel this sense of adventure. Who knows? She was wild.
Once my maw maw, as I called her, had read a book called Total Woman. There was a part in there about how to make your man happy or something like that. Well, the book said that you should get a pair of boots. When your husband comes home from a long day at work, you should greet him just wearing the boots. Well, she thought that sounded like a good idea. So, she got some boots. One afternoon, she was waiting in the back of the house. She heard the door open. She felt this would be a good time to make her entry. I guess a "good time to make entry" was relative to who would be waiting for her. She rounded the corner into the den and there sat my grandfather's cousin and his family. Needless to say, it wasn't the warm reception she was probably looking for.
When I think of how crazy it was for my grandmother to walk naked into a living room just wearing boots, I can't help but laugh. I think it is funny. I am sure she was embarassed. But, I bet she laughed when she told the story later. Her cousin probably didn't see the humor in it at the time. Maybe he did. Either way, it sure is funny today.
There are a lot of things that I look back on and laugh about. Some of them were even embarassing at the time or even horrible. But today, I can glance back and laugh my head off. That's why I love this story about my grandmother. It was so her. It is so real. She was freakin funny. And, while she lived, she lived some full moments that keep on giving even today.
My grandmother's life was hard and marked with extreme tragedy at times. She was married at the age of 16. She came from a very large and maybe dysfunctional family. All she knew was hard labor as a child. After marriage, she had a family. Her son, Jimmy, was tragically killed on the job at the age of 22 after being married 4 months earlier. Her marriage would fall apart. From there, her life would slowly eek away from her. It was very tough. But, there were good moments in all of it. There were Buick rides, naked boot-wearing days, and much more. Up until the end, she lived a pretty full life, not a perfect one but a full one. Even though the end was probably somewhat lonely for her, she still lived big. There were people who loved her and remembered good things, and made the best of things. And, the last of life is only the last of life. It isn't the totality of one's living.
I think that a lot of people misunderstand real living. So many live so cautiously because they are afraid that what others think will determine who they are. Many even hide their true selves for fear of looking weak and helpless. Hell, everyone is weak and helpless. No sense in disguising what is inherently true of everyone.
I love real people who live life raw. You know what I am talking about? They are the kind of people that when you ask them a question you don't get a bs (Note that I am a bit sensitive to my readers, hence the abreviation) answer. You just get the truth. Man that sure is refreshing. That is the kind of woman Maw Maw Martin was. She was living large in the moment.
Some people live small. Small living people measure out life in increments of logic and reason only. Not that these things are not good. They are when they are balanced with freedom and spirit. Small living people never see the top of the mountain in fear that the journey is too treacherous. Small living people don't cross the sea because the water is too deep, too scarey. People who live small never risk loving or giving because the risk of being hurt is too great. My thought is that it isn't just a risk, it is a certainty at some point.
Big living people laugh a lot. They cry a lot. They go a lot of places. Even if they don't travel far, they take in whatever there is to see and do. They ask few questions like, is it worth it? Seldom do you see them laboring over the pro's and cons. Please understand that being reasonable at times is good. Don't take this to an extreme. If you are saying, "I can't believe that someone would be so careless," you probably live small. But every once in a while live big. One day life will end. Don't get hung up on the small stuff. Don't quit because of mistakes. Live!
"The thief comes to only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and havve it abundantly," (John 10:10).
I encourage you to live abundantly. In Christ it is your pleasure to live in the fullness of God
I love you, your servant, your friend,
Tim
Comments