Perhaps a real biggie should have been our anniversary on June 6th. But up until June 5th, I hadn't even given it a single thought. Just been keeping busy with other things, and it wasn't on my radar. I'm sure I would have thought about it when the actual day came, and hopefully it wouldn't have been tainted with too much sadness.
My two granddaughters remembered though. Yes, only 8 and 10 years old, and they recognized the day's significance. Perhaps their mom, my daughter, initially mentioned it to them.
Both girls were quite secretive with their plans that day before our anniversary. It was my assigned day to "watch" them while mom and dad worked. It wasn't until their mom came to pick them up that afternoon, that I got to see what was behind their whispers all day. They had evidently come up with a scheme to make Grandma happy, instead of sad, on her anniversary.
A skit, featuring Grandpa, gave me some powerful laugh medicine. They dressed up like him (using one of his flannel shirts and sweatpants still in his closet). "He" came sauntering down the hallway with his cane. All I saw was Julia's face, hidden behind a "beard" they had created out of cotton, glued onto a white piece of paper and held onto her face with bread ties.
Funniest of all was what gave her the height she needed to be like Grandpa. She was cleverly sitting on top of her big sister Jenna's shoulders, underneath all Grandpa's clothing. "He" was truly a sight to be seen, even though I couldn't actually see Jenna. Obviously, I couldn't help but laugh at their accurate portrayal of him.
Then, the funniest part of all. This "apparition" standing before me began to talk. "He" said all the things Dean would have said in a little girl-deepened voice! "Let's go for a hamburger. Can I have a Coke and a candy bar? What's for supper? When's supper?" It was just too funny. They had heard those lines almost every time they were around Grandpa.
I was definitely going to remember their skit, just as they were going to remember Grandpa. And both memories will have a tendency to bring laughter and joy to our lives, rather than tears.
Reminding me of this verse:
"To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning..." Isaiah 61:3
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