Happy Birthday, Neighbor!

I can't imagine what 80 feels like.  Last week Betty celebrated her 80th birthday with the boys, flowers, cupcakes, cards and small presents.  She's still spry and on top of things; she's politically motivated (far to the right), technologically aware (she belongs to a Mac users club), and has successfully managed her own finances into a comfortable retirement.  But still, 80 years is a long time.

In eighty years so much has changed in the world that when you list some of humanities accomplishments its a little mind boggling; space travel, atomic power (and weapons), walking on the moon, computers that fit in the palm of your hand, the internet. Imagine a time traveler from 1932 walking out their machine and imagine them not thinking they stepped onto another planet. 

When I was born music was played on vinyl records and only the uber-rich could watch movies at home on a movie projector.  In forty-four years plenty has changed just in how we are entertained.  My boys both play with my iPhone.  TJ is a pro and is able to open apps and play complicated games - okay, Angry Birds, might not be "complicated" per se but there are some levels I still can't get three stars on.  Grant understands how to "swipe" to make things happen on the screen.  What will technology look like for them in 80 years?

At 80, Betty is at another transition in her life, something we referred to the other day as "retiring from retirement."  The huge house that she lived in with her husband in their retirement in Florida is now too much for her to manage and keep up.  Ten years ago that house was full of parties and people.  And, as with some things, change comes slow.  Her husband, Bob, passed away.  Other people became too old and too infirm, social circles break down.  Life happens.  The realization came to her last year that it was time to move on to the "next thing"  So, over the past few months she has reduced and simplified the amount of "stuff" in her house and is ready to put it on the market.

Wanting to be closer to the grandkids she had a choice between North Carolina and Missouri from Florida.  It was no contest.  Pictures of the snow piles in Missouri was all it took to convince Betty that she would make it through the first winter there.   North Carolina is cold enough. For the last two weeks she looked in this area at retirement villages, condos, and homes and in the end bought a brand new ranch two streets away from us in our neighborhood.

We couldn't be happier.

Growing up I lived about half a mile from one of my grandmothers and four miles away from the other.  Until they passed away my grandparents were always in my life.  We saw them after church, shoveled their snow in the winter and mowed their lawns in the summer.  They were waiting for us when we got off the bus while mom and dad worked and spoiled us with cookies.  They passed on stories of growing up in different times and different hardships.  You didn't visit my grandparents because they were a part of the immediate family. 

By the spring Betty will be a short walk away from us.  Without fully knowing the full impact, the dynamic of this family will change as grandma becomes a steady fixture in our lives instead of someone we road trip to go spend time with.

Happy birthday, Betty, we look forward to many more years together.