My 94-year-old grandma recently moved back to Michigan after living in other states for the past 10 years. She is now living with my mom – not because she can’t be on her own, but because she just needs the extra help – both physically (cooking, cleaning) but also financially since she never planned to live this long.
Her being here is such a blessing. I grew-up going to her place almost every other weekend and I am so happy she’s back and can now be a part of my baby’s life.
My mom is out of town, so grandma has been staying with me. We sat down at breakfast yesterday to discuss life. She loves to give me advice, so when I told her I wanted to post something on my blog about her thoughts, she was thrilled…even though she doesn’t really understand what a blog is.
Here are the five pieces of advice she wanted to share with you all:
1. Things are never as bad as you think. Hurdles in life that seem insurmountable are not – they just need time.
2. Life is about attitude. You can either choose to be a crab or be happy. If you don’t get over something, it will travel to another part of your life and affect it.
3. The secret to a happy marriage (and happy life) is to talk. Talk things over with people. When you’re unhappy, talk about it. When grandpa was dying, he told me “You’re not only my wife, you’re my best friend.” That was the best compliment and one of my favorite discussions ever.
4. Do your own thinking and go with your gut. That way if you make a mistake, it’s your own fault and you don’t have to worry about blaming anyone else.
5. Always tell the truth – don’t tell whoppers. My mother always said “only you know the truth,” I think what she was getting at was that if you lie, you’re just going to feel guilty and have a hard time getting over it.
What has been a great piece of advice you’ve received from an elder?
Well said! Another good piece of advice from my mother-in-law,soon to be 90, “Don’t say anything you cannot take back”.
That’s a great quote to live by! Lord knows we’ve all said something we didn’t mean.
Your grandma is adorable and what precious advice! You & your daughter are so lucky to have this special time with her. I repeat my husband’s grandmother’s saying, “waste not, want not” to my children all the time! I hope she enjoys all the comments!!!!
That’s a great quote I’m going to have to remember! Thanks for sharing 🙂 And yes, I feel very lucky to have special time with her.
Your grandma is adorable! You are so lucky to have her in your life. This made me miss mine so much.
This is all great advice. But #2?? YES!!
I know – I am blessed to still have both my grandmas. They are special people indeed.
I love #2 as well!
I love that photo of your grandmother with Little K. It’s so special that you still have your grandma in your life!
Of course, I also received lots of advice from my elders, much of it along the lines of your grandmother’s!
I know, I am very blessed. She makes aging seem like fun 🙂
Oh so sweet, I love #3!
Thanks for chiming in, Jessica. I love that one, too. (Even though I’ve heard that story 100 times, it’s still very sweet!)