author unknown

Grandma was alone at 80 after grandpa died, and she was too old and feeble to care for herself, so her daughter decided to move her in with her husband and their three children.

Cathy-grandma's oldest daughter-and her husband, Steve called a family meeting; they all discussed it, and they promised that they'd all make every effort to take care of grandma's every need. It would be work, some of it would be hard work, some of it would be distasteful. But every member of the family agreed. They all ADORED grandma, and nobody was even willing to discuss putting "mom's mom" in a retirement home. They were going to move her into the Jablonski home with them, and they would take care of her, as a family.

Grandma was delighted to be invited to move in with her oldest daughter and her family. She loved Cathy and she loved Cathy's husband. He was a good man. Her daughter had married well. The kids were wonderful. She was going to be loved and cherished like someone special. She happily moved in, which turned into a mammoth and fun event for the entire Jablonski household, and she was soon settled.

There were no noteworthy incidents for probably the first year, and then, after dinner one evening, they were each carrying their dishes into the kitchen, as was their family's custom:

"Pick up after yourself."

That evening, grandma-her hands twisted with arthritis-dropped her crystal stemware goblet (one of the expensive ones), it glanced off the edge of the dinner table, and crashed to the floor where it shattered into a gazillion pieces (if you know good crystal, you know what I mean.).

"I'm SO sorry!" grandma moaned feebly.

Cathy didn't say anything but, "It's okay, mom. I'll take care of it. Don't think another thing about it."

"I'll clean it up, mom!" Melissa, the 14-year old middle child, quickly volunteered.

"Thanks, sweetheart!" grandma said very gratefully.

"Thanks, dear!" Cathy agreed.

Melissa quickly dropped her dishes off at the kitchen sink and then reached into the broom closet next to the back door. She grabbed the broom and dust pan and made quick work of the cleanup.

The next morning, however, instead of having a nice, clean, new crystal stemware drinking glass next to her expensive china plate, grandma saw a wood cup full of the usual ice water.

"I didn't want you to be worrying about breaking another crystal goblet, mom, so I've given you a wood cup you can't break. I hope that's okay!" Cathy explained primly.

"That's fine, dear!" Grandma lied, humiliated.

All seemed to be forgotten and forgiven until a few months later, as grandma headed for the kitchen with her dishes, she dropped the beautiful-expensive-china plate, which shattered into a gazillion pieces (which good china will do, if you know good china).

"Oh, dear! I'm sorry!" grandma groaned, remembering what had happened when she broke her crystal goblet.

"It's just fine, mother!" her daughter said politely. "Think nothing more about it!"

"I'll clean it up, grandma!" Cindy, the 10-year-old youngest child volunteered, putting her dishes down on the kitchen counter and dashing to the back door broom closet for the broom and dust pan.

"Thanks, sweety!" grandma said very gratefully as Cindy cleaned up the mess.

"Thanks, Cindy!" Cathy answered.

The next meal, as they all sat down to eat, the wood cup at grandma's place had been joined by a wood bowl.

"I just didn't want you to worry about breaking anything else!" Cathy smiled sweetly.

"That's just fine, dear!" grandma moaned again, totally humiliated again, her heart breaking.

There weren't any more incidents for a few more months, until grandma tried to help in the kitchen one Sunday afternoon after church, and she dropped one of the nice Sterling silver forks down the disposal.

Cathy heard the fork grind sharply for about a second before she could flip the disposal switch off. The Sterling silver fork survived the brief encounter with the garbage disposal, but it was obviously chewed.

Cathy quietly fished it out of the disposal, washed and dried it quickly, and tossed it in the junk drawer.

The next meal, grandma's Sterling silverware had been replaced beside the wood bowl and cup by a plastic knife, fork, and spoon.

"Don't worry about the silver, mom! I've given you some plastic stuff! It doesn't matter if you break that! We can always get more plastic!"

"That's just fine, sweetheart!" Grandma found herself lying yet again. Somehow, it wasn't quite as humiliating the third time.

Several years passed, without any major issues, and then grandma died.

After the funeral, everyone in the Jablonski home was collecting grandma's unwanted things for a garage sale.

The youngest daughter, Cindy, who was now 13, happened to see her mother toss the wood bowl and cup and the plastic knife, fork, and spoon into the trash.

"What are you doing, mom?" Cindy asked, upset. She hadn't realized until that moment how attached she'd become to grandma's wood bowl and cup.

"Well, we don't need these anymore, Cindy. Grandma's dead! I'm throwing them away!"

"Oh!" Cindy replied.

"We're collecting stuff to sell or give away. Nobody wants this stuff."

"Ok!" Cindy frowned. "Ok."

A few minutes later, Cathy saw 13-year-old Cindy digging the wood bowl and cup and the plastic stuff out of the trash.

"What are you doing, Cindy? Grandma's gone! We don't need those things anymore!"

"I know, mom. I'm going to save this stuff until YOU get old!" Cindy answered, with wisdom beyond her mother's.

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Moral: Respect and appreciate your elderly; they're a precious gift from God! They're not a burden; they're a treasure finer than gold!

My mom used to say, "Don't knock old age; we don't all get there!"