The week between Christmas and New Year is visitation week. Did you visit, welcome family to your home, travel to see others? We traveled to New York to visit my parents this week. Quick trip, Tuesday to Thursday. 48 hours, action packed. I saw both of my grandmother’s this weekend. I can’t tell you the last time that happened. My mom’s mom is 86 and lives near Rochester. We have not been out there in many years. She came to visit on my mom’s 60th birthday, with my mom’s two sisters. My boys have not seen Grandma Morse in a few years, or maybe its better to say that my grandmother has not seen my boys in a few years, never saw Elijah. Only in pictures. I feel bad about this, but getting together is not easy. We go to my parents, two hours east of the rest of my mom’s family. They would have to come to us. They don’t. We’re only in NY once or twice a year for a few days. A narrow window for family to gather. My boys all have blankets knitted by my Grandma Morse. They are their traveling blankets, for snuggling on long car rides. That’s their connection to her.
I also went to visit my Dad’s mom. Grandma Lenahan is in a nursing home. It’s a beautiful new Jewish home north of Utica. I was pleased with the place. She has a large single room. It was decorated for Christmas with poinsettias. She has a board filled with family pictures, including my boys. She is very frail, unable to speak. Although she was alert enough to acknowledge us when we came in. After a few minutes of talking, I told her about the boys, the church, our house. My dad reminded her of the time when I ran away from home and landed suitcase in hand at my grandma’s house. She lived next door, had to walk through a three acre field. I was 7 and angry because I kept falling off my new two wheel bike. Grandma Lenahan was known as candy grandma, because she had cocoa puffs and lucky charms.
I’m not so good with one way small talk. She could, at best, look at me and mouth a word or two I could not understand. So I decided to get a bible and pray with her. She is a devout Catholic after all. I suspect t she has prayed for me in her life. So I prayed with her, read Psalms and other scriptures, prayed for her health, commended her to God’s eternal care. I may not see her again before she dies. I’ve never prayed with my grandmother before. My dad didn’t know if she receives regular spiritual care or visitation from a priest. She is taken to mass sometimes, he thought. I couldn’t think of anything else to do with her but to pray. Its what I do when I visit the elderly and infirm. I was glad I saw her…glad I saw both of my grandmothers this year. My parents were, too.
