Gram died about 1 1/2yrs ago of what should be best described as "old age"... heck she was 101! So you all should watch out I come from some tough stock!Not having her around has been really tough on me, she had been an integral part of my life from the beginning. I spent much of my very early childhood at her home which was a house (built in the late 1600's) nestled on several acres of land in the North Shore part of Massachusetts. Gram always had us outside never tied down to the TV or games. I loved exploring the outdoors and woods that went through the back part of the land. Event though she didn't have horses I'm sure my career path was because of all the time I spent outside getting dirty at her home.
My family moved to Indiana in 1993 leaving Gram and her house back in MA. We went back to visit regularly and even as I grew older I still enjoyed trompsing through the woods. She came to live with my Parents in Indy when she was well into her 90's and was no longer able to drive. She still lived an independent life with them and was found of walking around the block even into her 99th and 100th birthdays.
She was an outstanding woman and was my biggest fan, as I was hers. The fact that she made it here for my first one star in 2006 at the age of 97 and again to watch a show jump lesson with Craig in 2010 (and to give Lewis a carrot) meant the world to me. For everyone of you that got to meet her, you were blessed she was truly amazing.
One of the things she most often said to me when I was fretting about something was "Things will always look better in the morning". I think that this is a really important notion to remember when dealing with horses. I know I get caught up in a bad school or a bad go at a show then the next morning think "well... if I just changed the way I rode this a little or made a different decision here everything would have worked out" again... not the end of the world. A fresh look at mistakes we have made in the morning can always give us a different perspective.
The Following is my memory of this great woman that I gave at her memorial service...the goat story still makes me cry:
"Your life is shaped by those who are in it. I am so fortunate that my Grandmother was so instrumental in mine. Much of my childhood was spent at her house, and vast acreage surrounded by wooded land and nature. In those countless hours spent in her care she taught me to love nature and animals. She had a great compassion for all living things great and small.
My Grandmother had a particular bond with dogs. When she was a young girl and was asked what she thought of having a baby sister my grandmothers comment was “i would have rather had a puppy”. The dog I remember most came to live with my grand parents when I was a toddler and lived a good 16 years in the Perkins house. Lucy was a Irish Setter - Grey Hound cross, the kind of dog you would imagine if you asked for the ugliest one at the pound. But Gram loved that dog. Lucy would accompany us on long walks in the woods and was a good companion for my grandmother after my grandfather passed on. I remember Lucy often doing things that were naughty. She took a feather pillow into the kitchen and shook all the feathers out, and many times stole Joey's teddy bear and pulled the stuffing out. Once I decided to flea powder Lucy.... with and entire bottle of talcum powder and made quite a mess. I remember these times, but I don't ever remember Gram getting mad.... maybe a muffled laugh and a “for heavens sake”. That was just the kind of woman she was.
As I got older she encouraged my riding and showing. I'm sure she would have loved if I had grown to be ½ the cook or seem stress she was. It became quite apparent that this wouldn't occur when she had to repair 80% of my home economics projects to passing grades.
I bought my first horse 10 years ago when I was a College student. I “smartly” purchased said horse during my summer job in Colorado and shipped it back to KY, needless to say I was strapped for cash after all those expenses. Gram knew how badly I wanted a horse of my own and never once scolded me for such a ridiculous decision. Instead she sent me a note, with a fairly sizable check. The note went on something like this: “When I was a young girl I teased and teased my parents for a goat. They never saw a reason for me to have one, so I went with out. Now that I am old enough and have enough money for a goat, I've decided I don't want one any more. So here is the money from my goat fund so you can buy the things your horse needs.”
Gram always taught me to follow my heart and to be happy. I've been fortunate to turn my love for animals that she started into a career riding and training horses. I know she was happy that I chose this career path, and she would always ask “how are the horses?” and would always make sure I was treating my horse, Lewis, right.
On top of being such an influence in my life and many others there were somethings that she did just right. Things that I think led her to lead such a long, happy, healthy life.
Here are some of her secrets to living to 101
Smile always
Skip Fast Food
Eat your melon
Love much
be positive
Walk
never admit that you are old
Pet a dog
enjoy food
Love life
Have Faith
Take naps
Be Generous
Love animals
feed the birds
enjoy each day
travel
cook with love
see beauty in everything
stop to smell the roses
And always leave room for dessert"
Always leave room for dessert,
Jenn
No comments:
Post a Comment