Getting Rid of the Dandelions

Like we do at least once a month, Greg and I headed to Evansville for a visit this weekend. The reason this time was the wedding of one of Greg's close friends and one of my former competitors in Evansville. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony and it allowed Greg and me to catch up with old acquaintances we don't get much time to see. They are friends that mean a lot to both of us and I think it was a perfect distraction to what has become a very stressful and somewhat worrisome time in both our lives.

We also took time to meet up with Greg's Pastor who will be marrying us less than six months from now. He had us take personality tests. As many who know us can guess, my results came out as controlling and peaceful. Greg's were peaceful and fun. We both got a chuckle out of the whole process and it reminded us again what a good team we make. We not only compliment each other and fill in where the other lacks, but we often travel the same path when it comes to handling situations in life. I can say now more than ever I cannot wait to be his wife and share our life journey together.

The most precious moment of the weekend, however, was visiting with Greg's grandmother. Both of us only have one grandparent left. At Christmas, we spent a short time visiting with my grandfather, allowing Greg to get a chance to get to know him better. We don't often take the time to see his grandmother while we are in town, so as we were leaving our meeting with Father Schroeder we joined his grandmother as she was pulling dandelions from the yard.

Greg's grandmother is 88 years old, though if you ask her, she's 78. She doesn't have much activity in her life, her mind isn't what it used to be and often she doesn't know who I am. We didn't know how she would be as we came into her backyard, but when Greg said hello she got a big smile on her face, exclaimed oh my goodness and gave us both hugs. It appears everything was working as it should at that moment. We all walked around the yard, looked at family pictures and sat at the kitchen table discussing Wheel of Fortune and what day of the week it was. I let her know my wedding shower was coming up in June and she wrote it down on her book of things to remember.

The visit was short, but it appears Grandma was beside herself that we came to say hello and even took the time to sit down and chat. I think she called nearly ever family member to tell them we came by, including Greg's mom. She told her how happy she was to see us, how pleasant I am and that she would say a prayer for Greg and I during this time of uncertainty in our lives.

Too often we forget about those who come before us or those we have left behind. We get caught up in the laundry lists of daily activities. But this weekend was a good reminder that just a few minutes, or even an hour or so with a family member or friend can truly make world's other worries disappear, even if it's just for a few days.