There was an Old Woman...

I picked my Granny up this morning, to come to the hospital and sit with her sister who is in ICU. They are big buds you know. They’ve always been there for each other. This year they celebrated their 88th and 86th birthday.

My Granny has grayed and lost several inches of her height. She carries a worried look on her face and you can see confusion in her eyes. But she’s feisty and always has been.

My Aunt Juanita has grayed also, and although she no longer stands at 5’6, I still see the elegant lady that I’ve known since the beginning of my life. She is one of those people who get sweeter and sweeter as the days go by. The nurses even say, “She’s so sweet….she’s so cute…she’s the best patient.” She is a positive woman who has dropped to less than 100 pounds.

Two little ole ladies…buds for life. Every Thursday they go to their hairdresser together. They took great pride in their appearance. They both share a balding spot that force them to be wiglet committed.

What I saw...I wish I could have captured it on film.

Granny walked into the hospital room and viewed her sleeping sister, lying in the hospital bed with tubes running from each arm, out of her nose and various other places. Then this little old lady walked over to the other half of her life, and said, “Ah, she’s sleeping.” Which automatically woke Aunt Juanita up, who then smiled over at her younger sister. A few exchanges of words, smiles with eyes lit up and Granny tries to reach Aunt Juanita to kiss her. Her little legs are so short she can’t get tall enough to lean over the rail of the hospital bed. So, she doesn’t give up, but climbs upon to the bottom platform of the bed…grabs hold of the railing and reaches for her older sister’s head. She makes contact with the little wiglet… as she pulls herself toward Aunt Juanita the little wiglet moves toward Granny under her grip. Aunt Juanita is unable to move toward Granny due to her lethargic condition. But Granny makes it, just barely to her cheek, holding onto the wiglet and the bed railing she plants a quick kiss right before she loses balance and has to let go. “Ah, that’s a good one, “Aunt Juanita says.

I readjusted the wiglet and stood back and smiled. They look like two little girls at play. Two sweet little girls in their eighties.

Granny and Aunt Juanita celebrating their 85th and 86th birthday in 2008

**This was written on Thursday 02/05/09
Since then Aunt Juanita has had surgery. In the consultation with the surgeon afterwards, he stated he did not think this will be a "life sustaining" surgery.