Happy Birthday Grams!

Wednesday, March 6, was my grandmother's birthday.  She would have been 99 years old.  And while I no longer am able to see her her great style, hear her acerbic wit, or enjoy her loving guidance, she did leave me with some life lessons that have stuck with me over the years.

1.  Always dress up...if your enemies see you it will irritate them that you look so good.  And look good she did.  She had a real sense of style and a classic beauty that women everywhere try hard to achieve.  She believed in buying a few really good items that would last for decades instead of a lot of cheap lesser quality pieces.  Her white blazer looked as good in 1983 as it did in 1973 when she bought it.

2.  Lie about your age.  Now you might think this meant that she would lie and say she was younger than she was.  Not Grams...she lied the opposite way.  I remember being with her at the hairdresser and of course she was dressed all up and looked fabulous.  One of the ladies said to her, "Just how old are you, Pat."  "Seventy-three," she answered.  I rolled my eyes and when we got in the car asked her why she had added 6 years to her age..."Because I look like heck* for 67, but I look great for 73!"  (And no, she didn't say "heck.")

3.  Money can't buy class.  This was a mantra she said a lot.  And how true it is.  Class is about knowing how to behave in situations in order to make others feel comfortable.  It's about making people feel welcome in your home.  It's about making them feel like a better person just because they get to be with you.  And that was Grams...and it didn't take money to do it...it took a loving heart and a desire to do the right thing.

4.  Keep your mind active.  She read, she did crossword puzzles, she played cards, she did more crossword puzzles, she watched the news and read the papers, and then she did more crossword puzzles...and not the easy ones either...she did the really hard ones.  She was bright and lively and had she been born in a different time there's no telling what she might have done.

5.  Make sure your husband is well dressed...it will be a direct reflection on you.  Now this tip may seem a bit outdated in today's world...but I can't help but take it to heart.  I'm always proud of how nice my husband looks...and Grams was always proud of how handsome and well-dressed her husband was, too.  

6.  Have a giving heart.  As my grandfather (who I called Daddy) always said, "Grams would give anyone the shirt off her back."  And he was right.  I remember a time when he was looking for a radio he had bought to take to the barn so he could listen to it while doing the milking.  He couldn't find it...he looked for it, and had Grams looking for it...no radio.  Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and confessed...she had given it to her sister-in-law who had been there visiting and was lamenting how she would just love to have a radio but couldn't afford one...so Grams gave her Daddy's.  He said it was hard to get mad at her, but he sure would have liked to have had that radio!

Anna Catherine "Patsy" Brown

7.  Have fun.  She was the life of the party.  You never knew what she was going to say...but you knew  that your time with her was never going to be dull.  She liked to laugh and she was one of the most loyal people I have ever known.  I love living in her house...though I'm sure she wishes I would keep it a bit cleaner!  My daughter shares her name, and they are a lot alike.  I have no doubt she would be proud of me...and I feel so blessed to have all these sweet memories of the world's greatest grandmother.  

All the best,
Kelly