I’M NOT ON MY KNEES BECAUSE I CAN’T GET UP

Today I polished the furniture and swept the floors getting ready for a visit with a daughter and her family. As I rested in my chair between chores, I remembered doing all those things every week for more than fifty odd years and not getting especially tired. It was my job to clean, cook and take care of the children

I have found in the last five years that I no longer want to do any of those things. I don’t cook as much, clean as much, scrub floors but I still have a lot of laundry to do. Ironing is an intermittent thing

While sitting in my chair, I remembered my grandmother who was always scrubbing floors on her knees and then thought of my great-grandmother. Grandma and Grandpa Short had fourteen children and lived on their farm until they were probably in their 80’s. The farm was sold and they bought a two-story home in town.

My brothers and I hated to go there. We always seemed to visit around seven in the evening, just in time for their daily rosary. It was necessary to kneel on the living room floor which was covered with linoleum and the rosary was very long. It’s possible that they never had carpeting anywhere, but I don’t remember any other part of that two-story house. Years after the great-grandparents were gone, we’d drive down the street and I’d point out the house which was near the Russian Orthodox Catholic Church.  I’m really glad I remember my great-grandparents and even how religious they were. My great-grandfather died shortly after they bought the house, I honestly can’t picture him too well, probably because he didn’t have much to say. I remember he stood very erect and she was very stern. We kids didn’t really like her.

Now we have a great-granddaughter who probably won’t have any memories of us, but we do have nine grand’s that can fill her in on the good things. Nothing bad please.