A Question For Grandma
She
openeth her mouth with wisdom:
and in her
tongue is the law of kindness.
--
Proverbs 31:26
It was a good weekend for fogies, near and far.
Tom Watson, nearly 60, the humble Kansas City golfer who looks like a
combination of Huck Finn and Mr. Magoo, nearly won the British Open. A lot of
people consider that tournament to be the truest, toughest test of golf. It was
amazing that Watson could compete at that level. The current world golf champ,
Tiger Woods, not much more than half Watson's age, didn't even make the cut.
Watson fell one putt short of what might have been considered, because of his
age, the greatest achievement ever, in any sport.
Another tip o' the hat to senior citizens: we joined
the waves of fans of the new Disney animated movie, "UP," with its elderly hero
doing amazing stunts. An old grump got a chance to redeem himself and do some
creative, good things, because of love and the importance of honoring your
promises, no matter what. It brought tears to our eyes, even though it was a
preposterous plot and only a cartoon.
Also, a senior citizen friend of our family scored
major points by inviting several widowed friends, including my mother, to her
lakeside cottage at Okoboji in northern Iowa. They've been giggling like schoolgirls
over the prospect for weeks. They won't be doing a lot of waterskiing or
snorkeling, but they're going to have a blast, anyway, just being together. Thanks
to her generosity, the bluehairs are going to have a bridge marathon, talk a
lot, laugh a lot, and just really enjoy summer in one of the most beautiful
spots in the Midwest:
All these are great for putting senior citizens
in a good light. But I heard a story from another elder in our family that
outshines even these positive developments. It has to do with a little boy's
question.
See, this elder, a cancer survivor in a nearby
state, is one of the most dedicated and beloved grandmothers around. She is
retired from her job, but still works very hard in lots of ways, serving people
around her, and especially her grandchildren, who families both live nearby.
Both sets of parents are dual-income earners,
and the child care duties have often fallen to her. Though Grandpa also does an
outstanding job with the kids, there's a reason they call it "going to Grandma's"
- and it goes beyond the delicious food she always cooks for them.
Unlike some elderly people, when she's with you,
she's WITH you . . . she gives you her all . . . no distractions, no blaring TV
. . . she's playing with you and talking with you and focusing on you . . . and
that's a priceless gift that I wish more of our older people would give to kids
today.
Now,
this grandmother is very well-informed and diligent about nutrition. She
battles to prevent cancer's return by filling her body with the right stuff. So
at this time of year, she goes nearly every day to the pick-your-own blueberry
farm that's near her home. She packs and freezes quart after quart of the
luscious, big berries to the point where her freezer is completely full. And if
you ever go to her house at this time of year, and have a piece of her
blueberry pie . . . well, she's famous for it, and for good reason.
Anyway, the other day, her youngest grandson,
age 5, was over at her house and told her he wanted to draw a portrait of her.
He got out his crayons and worked for quite a long time on it.
She oohed and ahhed over the picture, but
noticed there were blue dots all over it.
"Are those raindrops?" she asked.
"No, Grandma," he replied. "You're picking
blueberries!"
Of course! She smiled. But then she cried, for
he added:
"Grandma. I'm not done with my picture yet. I
wanted to ask you something:
"How do you draw kindness on a face?"
How do you draw kindness?
How DO you?
I don't know, but I know it when I see it. And I
do see it, on a lot of elderly faces. There are a lot of elderly people out
there whose portraits would have to show it. To this grandmother, and everyone
who knows her, the implications of that question - that he associates kindness
with her more than anything else, except yummy blueberries -- is worth a world
championship in a sport, or any other achievement you could possibly aspire to.
There's no trophy for kindness - no Top Ten list
- no cash prizes or remuneration. But what could be a better end-of-life reward
than that? A better affirmation that you're still making a difference?
So I'm going to be like that grandma, and like Tom
Watson: to the end of my life, I'm going to stay in the game, and keep working
on my swing, and keep hanging in there, giving myself a chance to score.
And someday, I hope and pray, some little person
will let me know that I've mastered the game, maybe with a simple little
question like that . . . small question, huge meaning.
I don't know how to show kindness in a face, but
I know Who it came from. He painted our world with just two colors: kindness
and love. So if I ever get asked that question, I'll just point to our Champion
in heaven . . . Who put it there in the first place. †
