Family - all sorts

My Grandmother Binkley wakes up every morning and reads the Wall Street Journal from cover to cover. She then cuts out the articles, comics, and coupons that remind her of different people in her life, writes a quick note, and mails them out.

My parents receive a letter at least once a week with various clippings - they are instructed to pass the coupons along to me, since everyone know that I am the coupon queen.

The comics adorn the refrigerator for a week or two, usually until one of my boys manages to get ahold of it, which means certain doom or until the fridge simply gets too full and must shed some of it's outer layer.

You never know what sort of articles are going to emerge from the depths of a Grandmother Binkley envelope. Foreign policy - check. New vitamin suggestions for diabetics - check. A beautiful commemorative on the anniversary of Curious George - check. Warnings about false labeling on food - check.... but I digress. Perhaps more about that later?

My grandmother isn't very good at saying the words "I love you". It just isn't her thing. But I think the fact that she has been consistently sending comics we find amusing, and articles we find interesting, and coupons we find useful for ALL MY LIFE - well I think that is her way of saying "I love you".

Actions speak - yes? I struggle with them speaking louder then words - I am the type of girl who really likes to hear the words. (ask Andy, I beg him for words of all sorts on a regular basis, to no avail - but once again, I digress) For me, words would have made life easier. I would have reached a place of comfort and assurance in my grandmother's love much sooner in my life if words had been used - but actions do speak. I have learned to believe them, trust them, cling to them.

This is my grandmother sometime during her teen years - isn't she amazing?

She has a birthday coming up soon - an important birthday - and we are going to all be together as a family to celebrate. All three of her children. At least five of the six grandchildren (maybe all six, we're working on it...) Several spouses of the above mentioned children and grandchildren. Even the two great-grandchildren (my boys) are coming for the big hoopla. A large group got together for my Grandfather's big birthday several years ago, but I couldn't make that, so I haven't seen the whole crew since Emilee's wedding, 6 years ago.

I am excited!

I started this blog planning to write a deep and thought provoking comment about the articles she sent me, - a very interesting set of thoughts about the spelling bee, and immigrant families, and what makes America beautiful - but now, all I can seem to think about is how very glad I am to have this article in my hand at all.

Don't get me wrong, I am so very glad to have read it, and broadened my mind. But much more importantly then that, I am so glad to have a grandmother who takes the time to think about me, cut it out, stick it in an envelope, and even add a post-it note explaining more details.

Family, even the family you don't always understand or agree with, is wonderful to have.

This was us with my grandmother, back in Feb. Poor dad, with his eyes closed....