For anyone who knows me, the person who I’ve looked up to most in my life is my great-grandmother, Mozell Hunter. She’s 91 years old and I don’t know what I’d do without her in my life. She’s been a mother to me when my own wasn’t. When my mother and step-thing shipped me off without a care, she was the only one who stood up for me and put my mother in her place.
My gran is starting to show her age now. I hadn’t really realized just how bad she’d gotten until last week when we had Thanksgiving dinner with the whole family. Her sisters and one of her brothers were there, as well as my grandfather (her son) who came in from LA. Granny’s sisters are there all the time with her, Nadene especially since she lives across the street from her. She almost broke down in tears talking to me, explaining just how bad Granny’s getting lately. She forgets to eat, or will eat cheese and crackers and call it a meal. She’ll forget her medicines, everything. One day her other sister, Otsie, and her brother came over to visit and smelled gas really bad. In her gas furnace in the living room, my gran had the pilot light turned up about 5 inches high!! She could have blown the place up or burned it down with her in it!! She’s thrown out all of her ID’s, Nadene had to search and search to find one of her Indian cards with her social security # on it just to keep on hand. She even went to the bank and pulled a bunch of money out of her safety deposit box that Grandpa had put in there for emergencies and took it to Nadene not even knowing how much she had there and for no reason. Nadene made her march right back over there to the bank and put it back, but there’s no telling what she could do without her there to keep an eye on things.
She needs someone with her full time and there’s nobody else in the family who can really do it. Nadene is in her early 80s herself, and Otsie is 88, so they’ve got their own health problems, but they do what they can. Nadene has to have surgery this month, though, so she won’t be there for a few weeks while she’s recovering.
I wish that I could move down there and help her. I would have to find a job and a way to get around so I could take care of my kids, but at least I could be there to cook for her, and make sure she takes her meds, and make sure she eats, and keeps warm. I could clean for her and do her laundry and keep her company. I know she loves having the kids there, Josie is her only great-great-granddaughter, and her namesake, and she just loves scooping her up and cuddling her and telling everyone she sees that she’s her baby girl!
Grandpa Vernon and Grandma Suzie have taken her home with them to California for a month. I told her to go out there and enjoy the sunshine and to come back home with a tan. Grandma Suzie’s sisters and brothers out there all spoil her rotten when she’s there, so I know she’ll have a good time. I doubt she’d ever move there, because she’s lived here in Alex for so long and this is home to her, she’d miss the rest of her family so much. But, at the same time… I worry for her when she comes back. I don’t like thinking of her all alone so much. She needs help. I want to be there to help her. I just don’t know what to do yet. I don’t want to be a burden to her while I’m trying to help. I love her so much.
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
The Idiot's Guide To Everyday Life 