Penelope

My great grandma Maybon is almost 91 years old. She's such a sweet woman, and I have neat memories of her and my great grandpa. Each New Years, I remember them being here in AZ (they live in Colorado) staying with my grandparents. And they would buy steaks for our whole family (there's a lot of us- my mom has four brothers and a sister, their spouses, and there's 17 of us cousins- and now even us cousins are getting married and having babies- such fun for my grandparents!), and my grandpa would grill the steaks, and we had baked potatoes and salad with them. And that's how we celebrated the New Year, and watched the football games too (well, I didn't watch them, but I remember them being on).

I also remember when my great grandparents would stay with my grandparents, they liked to eat cinnamon toast. In fact, I believe that is still something they enjoy. I LOVE cinnamon toast. In our house growing up, we had a little mixture of cinnamon and sugar for the times when we would want it.

Anyways, my great grandmother was very creative and good with her hands (and she passed that talent down to my grandma because she has made many many dolls and done many china paintings, and beading things, knitting, crocheting, you name it). Great Grandma Maybon has since had a few strokes that have affected her body in a way that she is not able to do the things she used to do, like make these beautiful dolls, china paint, beading, and much more. The dolls she made are just so sweet, and she made a lot of them. We went to visit them a few years back, and their home is filled with the dolls she has made over the years. My great grandparents decided that they want to start passing the dolls on to us- and they shipped a lot of them to my grandparents here in AZ. They fill my grandma's dining room table, and the last time we were there last week, they said we could pick one out and take it home. Teda picked out this sweet doll with brown braids, and she's wearing a little pink poodle skirt. She and Zach named her Penelope, and she is on a shelf in Teda and Dane's room. She really wanted to be able to play with her and dress her, but we explained that because her face and hands are glass, that's not very safe. :)

There's been some things going on with my Great Grandma's health lately, and she had to be in the hospital for a while with some blood sugar issues. It would soar high, then drop. She's now in a rehab facility, and is expected to come home this week. My Great Grandpa is anxious for her to come home. He has been her rock through all her health isssues, and they are such a great example to me of a great team. After she had her strokes all the way until now, he has taken care of her fully. I think now they will have a nurse come and help with some things, but for years he did it all. Because she can't move her right side anymore. I would imagine that he has felt pretty lonely in the house with her being in the hospital and in rehab, and is excited for her to come home.

I don't think that my great grandparents know Jesus. That saddens me. Because they are nearing the end of their lives here on Earth, and I know that if they knew Jesus and had Him in their hearts, they could look forward to being in Heaven forever. I wonder if that feels wierd knowing that your life is about to end, and wondering what happens next. I think that would make me feel worried, anxious, scared, and nervous. I'm still praying that they would come to know the truth, and that I will get to see them in Heaven when my time comes. And I know without a doubt that is how God feels- He wants to welcome them with open arms when He decides to take them home.

I must be feeling nostalgic lately because I keep posting about memories that I have. I think it will be fun to look back later on these journal entries and remember things like this though. I would love to get a book bound of all these posts I've done. I'm going to look into that.