40 years and counting

 This past July 10th, we celebrated 40 years of marriage. I am still in shock that we have been married for that long. We’ve been through moves to different cities, job changes, the loss of a child, the marriage of another child, becoming grandparents and retirement. It still doesn’t feel real. 

40 years of marriage!

We decided to have a family party for this year’s celebration. We were lucky to have all of my husband’s siblings, his brother-in-law and sister-in law and his nephews here as well as my brother and sister-in-law. My daughter-in-law’s whole family came and also my best friend from Mississippi and her family. We invited a sweet neighbor who we have grown to love and our gym teachers, who we have become friends with. It was a wonderful night and it meant a lot for our two families, who live so far apart to be together for a short while. It was the first time our granddaughters have had their entire immediate family together in one place. I think they enjoyed seeing all of their family together. 

Getting everything ready for the party was quite stressful, but in the end all the work was worth it.We have decided we will just go out to dinner for our 50th! 

One thing that happened at the party was a family jam! My husband, son, brother and brother-in-law favored us with some really good music. When I moved to Los Angeles to go to college and met Richard, he and his brother had a band. They practiced in my older brother Maurice’s garage. On the other side of the country was my brother Andre, who had been playing for years with such greats as Billy Joe Royal and Percy Sledge. I grew up with a band practicing in my living room. Our party was the first time they had ever played together. My son played with his father, and his two uncles on the stage. 

Family band! 

We made sure to honor Lauren at the party too. Her picture was in a prominent place for all to see. Our eldest granddaughter, whose middle name is Lauren after her aunt, made sure to show her love in a special way. 

My granddaughter’s message to Lauren. 

All in all it was a wonderful time. We are looking forward to many more years together!

 

What I don't like about getting older

 There are probably way too many things to name so I'll just name the ones that really get to me. 

First, the petty ones:

I really hate it when I say "excuse me" to someone out of courtesy (if I have to cross in front of them in a line, if I am in their way, if I accidentally bump into them) and they reply, "You're fine!" What does that even mean? How about, "Oh, no problem.!" or "Thank you!" (woah- I really am old!) 

You can look back at my "Pity Party" posts from when I was working and understand this better. I don't like people thinking a) I'm dumb and clueless; b) I have no idea what is going on in the world; c) I can't do things for myself and d) I know nothing about technology, just because I am older. I thought people were supposed to appreciate the elderly! (Not that I am ELDERLY) 

I'm a walking history book when it comes to the 60's and 70's culture, music, movies, TV and such and young people just don't know about our bands, our shows, our culture. Why should they? They have their own! But the ones who "dis" us like our time didn't matter really get on my nerves. Some of y'all could benefit from learning about us. (Off my soapbox) 

I really wish people would learn how to dress appropriately. I wish men would take pride in their appearance. I guess I am spoiled because my handsome Italian husband never leaves the house unless he's "dressed to the nines" as they say. (even when he's wearing a t-shirt and shorts!) Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man 🎶 

 I also wish girls/women would show a little more modesty in their dress. You don't have to wear expensive clothes to take pride in your appearance and model that to the young folks. It says something about you and your self-esteem in my old mind. 

Now the ones that are life changing:

Seeing the people (younger than me) getting older and growing up and changing. I like to think of people in a certain way and now... My son will be 40 years old in a couple of years. That is impossible for me to fathom. Lauren is perpetually 18 in my mind and I struggle to think of her as 35 years old. I just can't. 

I see my granddaughters growing up before my very eyes, and I wish they were still the babies they were just a short time ago. I am happy and sad at the same time. It is really bittersweet. That is life, though. I am going to try to really observe and enjoy all of the phases the girls go through. It's a lot easier to do as a grandmother than it was as a mother. 

I don't like all the aches and pains my body likes to annoy me with. I am very grateful that I don't suffer from a lot of health issues. The little things I have are part of aging. I just wish I had taken better care of myself when I was younger, but still I am lucky in the respect that some of my peers really have some bad issues. I am thankful. 

I am trying hard to dress appropriately for my age without looking like I'm a hundred years old. I am not trying to be 25 because I am not, and I probably wouldn't want to be again. I just try hard to be age appropriate and not dowdy. I don't think my son wants his mama to dress like she "shops for her wardrobe at Cracker Barrel," to quote an old friend of mine. (Actually, I have seen some cute things there lately. They have upped their game. It used to be quilted vests and sweatsuits.)  I jokingly told my daughter-in-law Anna to put me away if I started dressing like that, and she said she'd keep her young eyes out for me! (Disclaimer: I am not going to embarrass myself or my son by attempting to wear a bikini!) 

Lastly, I don't like what is going on in our country and in our world. I worry about the kind of world my grand daughters have to grow up in. We are so lucky that they have fantastic parents who are keeping watch on them and a weather eye on the horizon to make sure these girls are being trained up in the church and are getting a good education both at home and in their schools. We're blessed that their other grandparents are salt of the earth, Christian people who carry the same values that we and their parents do. So damn lucky and I am so very grateful for that. I pray for them day and night. 

So I will try to do my part to grow old gracefully. As gracefully as I can. 

What I like about getting older

There are a lot of things I actually like about getting older. Of course, being a grandmother (Mimi) is the best thing. 

Other than that, I like the fact that I no longer worry about wearing fancy shoes. I'm in it for the comfort these days. I've found some really cute flats that feel really good. I don't worry about cute high heels and such, though.

I really like not having to worry about going to work every day. I thought I would miss it, but I actually don't miss deadlines and hassles. I really miss the people I worked with though. They were the best. The college where I worked was one big family, and I miss them and the fun we had. But working? Nope! 

I'm glad that I don't have to worry about dressing for work and also about wearing make up. MAKE-UP! I don't worry about it anymore. (unless I am going to church or somewhere dressed up and I will see people I have known for years) Vanity of Vanities, as they say! Seriously, though I adjusted the amount of make up I wear a while back based on an article I read about women over 60. The last thing I am looking for is to try to look inappropriately young. In other words, I think I would look like a clown at my age. 

But the upshot of it is, I am getting to be ok with who I am and my age in life (FINALLY!) 

The one thing I remember each day is that each day I live is one day closer to when I will be with my Lauren again. I am working hard (and slipping along the way) to make my way to heaven. It is a tough road, folks. I pray I can get there and be with her one day. 

So for now, I will take it one day at a time, enjoy my freedom (from work responsibilities), learn to love my new home and cherish my time with family. 

I got carded this week

I got my Medicare card in the mail the other day. Me on Medicare. Now I’ve been talking about how happy I would be when I got on Medicare, because we’ve had a horrible “bridge” insurance policy since early retirement. It’s almost like you get punished for retiring early. Who can afford so-called “retiree medical” these days? Not us. 

Anyway, now that the card is here, I am facing the fact that I am almost 65 years old. I’m in pretty good health, and I try my hardest not to dwell on the fact that I am not “young” anymore. People always say, “well, you’re young at heart.” I don’t want to be young at heart. Because when I was, I was pretty silly and sometimes, I was quite frankly stupid when it came to decision making, and things of that nature. I think I have come to the conclusion that I am the age I am supposed to be. At least I tell myself that! 

Some days are better than others, when it comes to facing your age. It’s like the loss of a child in that respect. Some days are better than others. 

So now I will pick my “advantage” plan and rest in the fact that I can go to the doctor when I need to and not worry myself to death that we will have to spend a million dollars because we don’t have insurance. Doctor bills give me the frights. I just hate them. I think it is because they make me feel so out of control. 

Retirement is great, but it can make you feel uneasy at times. We are getting used to it, and learning to adjust day by day.