Mother taught me not to stare but try as I might I couldn’t pull my eyes away. A head of snow white hair all soft yet like a crowning glory gets me every time. So regal, delicate, and perfect. At the age of 90 regal can be hard to come by but not for my great aunt. I gently stoke her hand of soft skin that looks like aged parchment that tells a story better than any page could. And while I clasp her hand in mine I’m a bit amazed that the same hand I’m touching is the one that has given handshakes to presidents. I try to imagine what it must have been like for her to meet president Carter, Eisenhower, Truman, and Kennedy as well as many other distinguished individuals. My great aunt was a secretary to United States ambassadors for a very long time. I’m always a bit envious when she says that she lived in nineteen different countries for at least two years at a time. Not to mention all the other places she had the opportunity to discover. Her house is an eclectic mix of treasures that she has acquired from all over the globe. Some are custom handmade tables or gorgeous silk rugs. But the real treasures are her stories. Sadly she didn’t keep a record of her adventures and she can’t remember them now or she won’t tell. It grieves me to think that there are so many people her age whose stories are not being written down or even enjoyed by others in a conversational form. Do you have wonderful stories from an older person in your life? If so I’d love to hear about them in the comments! And if you haven’t taken the time to truly sit with someone older than you and draw out the wealth of fascinating things they have lived through and done then I highly encourage you to do so. In the end I think you’ll find that you’ve come away being enriched.
P.S. This is something to consider as well…
And in case you didn’t notice I set a new goal… So yeah. Do you think we should try to raise it by May 1st? That was the day I started the dress project last year!!! Or by my birthday? What do you think? Hmm…can you all help me out? I’ve decided to resurrect the 10.for.10 challenge. 
If you want to take the 1o.for.10 challenge then all you have to do is get 10 friends to donate $10. Yeah it’s that easy. Trust me and just try it. I think you’ll be really excited to see what will happen if you take this challenge.
(iphone pics from my trip…)
Your great aunt is a treasure! I loved visiting with her when I was in town. She showed me artifacts of a life well-lived and told me stories of adventure and places I have only dreamed of seeing. I was so blessed by those few short minutes that I have been praying that I might spend eternity with her and my Lord as well. This is how I pray for her…”But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19 NIV)
Yes she is! Knowing you Kate you will get to go to all those places at some point. 🙂
Beautiful payer…
Interestingly enough I just got off the phone from speaking to my sharp-as-tacks Grandma this morning. I had missed her. I got to hear more details of her fascinatingly adventurous past and her approach to life and the attitude that has kept her still bright and sparkling at age 87. It blessed me. She too has shook hands with the rich and famous and I feel so blessed that she still remembers most of her experiences. At this point it feels as if I am in a race against time to document her life’s story.
Such a great reminder. Your great aunt is beautiful.
How special that you can do that. All my grandparents have passed on. And I really want to hear what she shared with you… 🙂
Yes, yes please get her story down! It is so important…
Agreed that she is beautiful. 🙂
Funny you posted this – I’ve been been thinking that I need to start writing down all of my grandma’s stories. I’ll be calling her later today. 🙂
Oooo that’s wonderful! I’m thrilled you’re going to do that. 🙂
Wow! Very cool. She was absolutely beautiful, like you. Very well written, you took me back in time:)
🙂 Yes, she is beautiful. 🙂
Yes, our ancestors carry such unique pasts…it is so worth the time to sit down and give them our genuine attention! I have never had an extremely close relationship with both sets of grandparents since they all live across the country. However, my Oma, who has suffered a stroke and health repercussions, and who also would much rather watch TV than communicate with those around her, recently came to stay with us for a short period of time. During that time I wanted so bad to hear her story, but was very hesitant to ask, knowing it had been a rather touchy period of time. I decided to just ask her, and suddenly she came out of her little shell and shared so many stories from her life in Germany during WWII. She was only a young child when the war was happening, so many of the vivid memories she shared were sad, traumatic, but also confused too. She shared of the fear felt when she saw the bombs in the city and they had to scrape their food supplies to last, and when she ran for cover to a greenhouse to escape stray fire from planes overhead while on a school trip. But also, she shared the joy of the new, crisp, expensive school uniforms they received for a parade for Hitler, and the times when her and her sister (who were required to wear pinafores to school everyday) would say goodbye and then walk around to the back of the house and leave them draped over the wall before going to school. She still lives with the confused belief that Hitler couldn’t have meant so much evil, and someone else was influencing him…I don’t think she even wants to believe the holocaust happened.
Well, there is a brief snippet of my Oma’s story, and how, even though I doubted her interest in sharing, when I asked, she became another person, the Oma I have always wanted, a thoughtful individual. And afterwords? She thanked me for asking, stating “it is rare anyone ever expresses interest, so I don’t talk about it!” I am so glad God gave me the faith to ask, and enabled me to be a small light in her life.
WOW. Thank you SO much for sharing Katrina. Totally blessed me. Isn’t it incredible how older people will often come out of their shell if you ask them their stories. Again thank you for sharing!
Your great aunt is beautiful, as a young and older woman. My great grandparents on my mom’s side were not what anyone would call wild or adventurous, but they had many different legacies that they left behind that I really appreciate. Wisdom with their money, thriftiness, hard work ethic, many important and Biblical values. I am very happy for the few years that I got to know them before they died.
I agree! Thanks for sharing that. What you said is so beautiful and such a gift. And what a blessing that you got to spend that time with them. 🙂