It has been said that with age comes wisdom. Well, it also comes with persistence and never ending laughter. Well at least in my Great Aunt Velma’s case.
Still as sharp as the needle she sews with, she shows no signs of being 95 years old. I had met her once when I was only four, so now that I am at an age I can appreciate her; I knew it was time to make the trip. She lives in an incredibly spotless and well maintained home with no assistance.
I quickly learned how determined and motivated my Great Aunt is. Her daughter recently made a trip to her home to hide the ladder from her insistent mother. Velma says she will now have to figure out another way to get on the roof with the leaf blower. In the mean time, she focuses on picking up leaves and maintaining what is in reach of her height, a mere 4 feet ten inches.
I asked her how she stays so young. With a big smile she lowered her voice and told me it was the simple trick of vitamins! That must be one super vitamin because she is always on the go and keeping up with a craft of some kind. If she’s not sewing pillowcases, she is designing bookmarks, doorstops and pin cushions. But most of all she is always cracking jokes.
My Great Aunt Velma told me about noodling in the lake so her family of nine could have a good dinner. (Noodling…well that will be another story soon to come.) But what she remembers most is chasing her younger sister around the yard with a snake and says she would have her going for miles.
At dinner the waitress rattled off about fifteen sides Velma could choose from. Just as the waitress was finishing she took a deep breath and Velma calmly asked her to please repeat them. The waitress’s eyes widened to the size of our dinner plates. Velma started laughing, told the young lady she was only kidding and would have the first item on the list.
She never misses a beat. At the last doctors appointment the doc told her she should easily live to be one hundred. It was her turn to widen her eyes and she looked at her daughter and said, “Looks like we need a new doctor!” And out came her sweet rolling laughter again.
As the holidays approach may you find the untold stories that could bring joy and laughter to your special family members.
Still as sharp as the needle she sews with, she shows no signs of being 95 years old. I had met her once when I was only four, so now that I am at an age I can appreciate her; I knew it was time to make the trip. She lives in an incredibly spotless and well maintained home with no assistance.
I quickly learned how determined and motivated my Great Aunt is. Her daughter recently made a trip to her home to hide the ladder from her insistent mother. Velma says she will now have to figure out another way to get on the roof with the leaf blower. In the mean time, she focuses on picking up leaves and maintaining what is in reach of her height, a mere 4 feet ten inches.
I asked her how she stays so young. With a big smile she lowered her voice and told me it was the simple trick of vitamins! That must be one super vitamin because she is always on the go and keeping up with a craft of some kind. If she’s not sewing pillowcases, she is designing bookmarks, doorstops and pin cushions. But most of all she is always cracking jokes.
My Great Aunt Velma told me about noodling in the lake so her family of nine could have a good dinner. (Noodling…well that will be another story soon to come.) But what she remembers most is chasing her younger sister around the yard with a snake and says she would have her going for miles.
At dinner the waitress rattled off about fifteen sides Velma could choose from. Just as the waitress was finishing she took a deep breath and Velma calmly asked her to please repeat them. The waitress’s eyes widened to the size of our dinner plates. Velma started laughing, told the young lady she was only kidding and would have the first item on the list.
She never misses a beat. At the last doctors appointment the doc told her she should easily live to be one hundred. It was her turn to widen her eyes and she looked at her daughter and said, “Looks like we need a new doctor!” And out came her sweet rolling laughter again.
As the holidays approach may you find the untold stories that could bring joy and laughter to your special family members.
Haha, that is so true! What a great picture of aunt Velma. I just went to visit her on my drive home from school and definitely experienced the rolling laughter. And I was also amazed at how active she is. She said, "For me, to do something is to be alive. Why, if I'm not productive during the day, I can hardly go to bed." I hope I inherited some of that spark :)
ReplyDeleteHi Katie! Isn't she great! Maybe we could all go visit her one of these days, she makes great apple muffins with jam in the middle!
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