Life Over Here

Hey guys.  I'm still here.  My Stepfather is in the hospital with an infection and he needs to have a triple bypass soon.  His infection is healing and he is feeling much better. But, he will be in the hospital for awhile.  Meanwhile, my Mom is home alone and needs my help to do a lot of things.  For the most part, she is okay.  (You might remember her accident that left her partially paralyzed in her arms and not able to walk long distances).  Anyway, she is 35 miles one way and he is 10 miles the other way, so back and forth is taking time, but I AM HAPPY to be able to do it.  

Today, The Breadman's half sister died.  They didn't have much of a relationship growing up due to his parents being awful about it, but I know she loved him and he cared about her a great deal.  She had gotten very weak and was on hospice, so it wasn't completely a surprise, but then again it was since she was only 60.  It's weird to learn of family news like that on Facebook, but that is the way we all work now.  It's just the quickest way to let everyone know at one time in one fell swoop.

Anyway, not to be a downer, but that's the news here.  Family is first of course, but that leaves not much time for much of anything else that might be considered blogworthy.  I do have one exciting find that sold for what I consider BIG MONEY (over $700!) but I will save that for a day when I am not bearing such news as this post.

I appreciate all the sweet comments that I already KNOW you will post.  I miss coming here and I miss you ALL!

Christopher Shane's Grandma

I shared a bit of this story on Instagram last week, but thought I would tell the whole story here.

The day that The Bean was born, my Mom went down to the hospital gift shop to buy him a little present.  As she was paying, she told the lady at the counter that she had just had her first grandchild.  "Oh, that's such a wonderful thing!" the lady replied.  My Mom told her it was a boy and that his name was Christopher.  "I have a grandson named Christopher too!' the lady said.  "Well" my mom said, "Ours is Christopher Shane."  The lady said, "Mine is Christopher Shane too!"  They talked for a while and then my Mom came upstairs and told me this story.  At some point before I went home (I was there a week) she came up to the room to meet me.  I had never met her before and never seen her before.

Flash forward a few weeks and I see her at the local grocery store.  Then at the pizza restaurant.  Then at Wal-Mart.  She introduces me to her daughter that works at Wal-Mart and we form a friendship based on the name Christopher Shane.  Every single time I see her, the first words out of her mouth are, "How's Christopher Shane?" then, "How is your Mom?" I have seen her every few months for the past almost 22 years! Every time we discuss our Christopher Shane's.  A couple of years ago I stopped at a garage sale and it was at her house - she was moving in with her daughter.  She must have been in her late 80's, but she still drove everywhere and still volunteered at the same hospital where we first met.  She just wanted to live with her daughter so they could "have fun together." Last year at the city fireworks show, who pulls up beside us to watch?  You guessed it, Christopher Shane's grandma.

About a month ago, I stopped at an estate sale.  I was poking through the garage and when I went into the house - there she sat!  She popped up and said, "Did you know this was my house?"  No, I didn't know that.  In fact, I had driven past and then I felt compelled to stop, so I went back.  She told me that her daughter had died.  I was crushed.  I knew her at Wal-Mart, but I never saw her with so much regularity that I had realized she was gone.  She had died before Christmas, and I was just finding out in June.  I felt just awful.  Her daughter loved holiday things, so I bought a few things for the memory of her.  We visited and she kept patting me on my arm.  She's such a sweet lady.  I am ashamed to tell you that I only recently had found out her actual name.  After all these years!  She was just always Christopher Shane's Grandma.  Her name is Phyllis. :)

I found this old photo and she told me that it was her Step-Mother.  Christopher Shane's Grandmother's Step Mother.  I decided to bring her to my house so I would always remember Christopher Shane's Grandmother.  She's 92 now, living alone and she gave up driving, so I probably won't run into her much anymore.  She always has the brightest smile and gives a pat on my arm. When I left her estate sale, she said, "I love you!"  It's funny how that chance conversation at the gift shop forged a 22 year bond.  Someone commented, "Strangers are just friends (and family) that we haven't met yet!"  That's so true!