It Is Something Else--Growing Old

Courtney and I helped Grandma chop vegetables for the stir-fry. Katie slept. When she finally woke up, we told her that she had to do all the dishes now, because she didn't help with the meal preparation. Grandma told me to cut the onions a certain way, because "That's the way the Asians do it." She cooked the chicken first, then the vegetables. I sat on the low counter by the stove and watched, but had to move when the oil in the pan started spitting on me.

Once the stir-fry, rice, chow-mein noodles, and an array of condiments sat on the table, we all sat up, anxious to eat.

"Shall we have family prayer?" Grandpa said, and we slid out of our chairs and onto our knees. "Grandma doesn't kneel. We kneel for her." Added Grandpa. I smiled. Grandma folded her arms and bowed her head, sitting in her chair, and we prayed.

Dinner was fabulous. Aunt Kim joined us soon after we started eating. I had two helpings, which was probably too much, but it was so good. Grandma was so excited about all the vegetables we used in the stir-fry. She told us, "Grandpa doesn't like to eat his vegetables. I make sure to feed him two servings of vegetables for every meal." Grandpa glumly speared a droopy broccoli tree and ate it obediently.

"Even breakfast?" Kim asked. We laughed at this.

"No," Grandpa answered, "She only feeds me one serving of vegetables for breakfast." He winked at Grandma, and she threw her hands up and laughed.

"This man never eats enough vegetables..." Grandma told us.

"Boy, it's sure nice to reach the age when people stop telling you what to eat..." Said Grandpa, "I hope to get there someday." He smiled, and his joke made us all clap our hands and hug our sides with laughter.

"When we go to the Senior Center for lunch, all those folks wonder why Dr. Kerr isn't eating his vegetables." Grandma informed us.

"Those aren't the people I'm referring to." Grandpa winked again.

Aunt Kim produced a bag of chewy, cherry, chocolate candy, and passed it around the table. Pretty soon our mouths were watering and chomping on delicious cherry goodness.

"Mm... Those are so morish!" Grandma exclaimed, closing her eyes.

"What's morish, Grandma?" I asked.

"It means you just gotta have more." She reached back in the bag and popped another one in her mouth, closing her eyes to enjoy the morishness.

Kim handed Katie a couple early birthday presents, while we finished our morish cherry chocolates. One present was a cute, uplifting, girl book, and the other was a stylish knit headband with a flower on the side. Grandma loved the headband, and thought it was really something. She asked Katie if she could try it on. Katie handed it over, and Grandma slipped it on, over her silver hair.

"Oh! I could wear this to church! How does it look?" She smiled and poofed her hair with her hand.

"It looks great, Grandma. Way hot!" I said, and Kim handed Grandma a small mirror. Grandma held it out and stared at her reflection. At first she laughed, then her smile softened, growing slightly melancholy. She brought a hand to her face, tracing the lines and wrinkles, fingering the gray hair.

"Try tucking your hair behind your ears." I suggested.

She tucked her hair behind her right ear, "Hearing aid..." she smiled and tucked the other side, "Oh look, another hearing aid!" We all chuckled, and Grandma set the mirror down and handed the headband back to Katie. "Let me tell ya, it is something else--growing old..." Then, with a twinkle in her eye, she added, "But it's better than the alternative. I'll take getting old over dying any day!" Grandma smiled at Grandpa, and he smiled back. We laughed and passed the bag of morish chocolates around one more time.