Loving Lucy

I have a friend. We are only separated by 62 years.

Her name is Lucy.

I love Lucy.

I always thought that there was a sacred triangle that you entered when you became a rickety old grandma. The sides of this triangle are "pessimism", "oh my aches and pains", and the last but definitely not the least is "kids these days". All people of an elderly nature are doomed to this triangle. I believed this. I cursed the day I would step out of my world into the dreaded triangle. I believed this, that is, until I met Lucy.

THE PAST: Lucy grew up like any little kid in the early 1900s. She loved to roller skate and bike. She had several barn cats and bright red hair. She went dancing on Friday nights and was wooed by the boys from the outskirts of town. She met one, fell in love and married. With that brought many joys and many hardships. She and her husband would take the widows in the ward for drives on Sunday afternoons to see the sights. One fateful afternoon, as they were driving, a little boy ran in front of the car. Lucy's husband slammed on the brakes. Lucy, who was pregnant at the time, hit the dashboard and consequently lost the baby. Her only other child died at the age of 40 from diabetes, and her husband died a few years later. I met Lucy because Jared was her home teacher. She was sweet and kind. One day, when Jared and Taelor were out of town I felt like I needed to go see Lucy. She was in the yard planting flowers. I spent the next 4 hours at her house planting and sharing meals on wheels with her. We laughed a lot. That became the beginning of a wonderful friendship. The thing that drew me to Lucy was her optimism. She hadn't made it through the triangle and that was mildly confusing because she was 89. She was alone...no children, no husband. She had her aches and pains...but "not any more than the next person". She had chosen to smile and laugh with life instead of be upset and bitter about it.

THE PRESENT: The more I learn about Lucy, the more I respect her. She LOVES music. She turns on music from the dancing days and trots around in the kitchen. She gets a silly grin on her face when she offers me an 'all the way' Pepsi. She reads love stories, and loves a good glazed doughnut. She loves the outdoors. She wants to see how her city is changing. She loves when the leaves change and aches to go to the mountains where she can see the beauty. She laughs...a lot. She gathers quotes and has them scattered around the house. Her favorite? "I often wake up grumpy in the morning, but sometimes I let him sleep in". She has surrounded herself with happy things. She finds joy in the simple things and hasn't allowed the taste of bitterness to enter her every day life. This is a small tribute to a very wonderful woman, but it is a tribute non the less.

Halli and Lucy, October 20, 2008