this past winter i attended a memorial service for "mom-mom"---the mother of a friend (who also happens to be a family member). after the funeral when we were back at mom-mom's house for lunch one of her grandkids was looking around for the "snack mat". although i didn't even know what a snack mat looked like, i joined the search. soon it was found and a group of 20-somethings spread the snack mat (which looked like a comforter or quilt to me) in the middle of the beautifully decorated living room, sat down on it, and enjoyed their lunch.
i love the way these kids---who had all spent considerable time at mom-mom's house---still respected her ground rules. and i love the way mom-mom wanted her grandkids and their friends right in the middle of her life and figured out a way to protect the carpet without excluding the grandkids and their friends from her fanciest room.
after lunch i had the chance to see one of the best spots in mom-mom's house. on the ceiling of her bedroom the family had placed a skyfull of those stars that glow in the night after they've been exposed to light. she had seen these stars on the ceilings of her grandkid's bedrooms and liked them, so her family had put some there for her.
i love the thought of mom-mom learning new tricks from her grandkids even up to the very end of her life. and i love it that she could soar through the universe in her dreams every night.
today is the one year anniversary of my own mother's death. tears came every time i tried to settle on what story of her life to share, so i decided to share a story from another mother's life today and tell you about my own mom another time.
if i were one of mom-mom's grandkids, what i'd want most from all of her things would be either the snack mat or one of those stars from her bedroom ceiling.
i'd love to hear some good grandmother/mother stories that you might like to share.