She wiggled in her seat as she pressed her nose against the car window, leaving two little nostril marks.  She wiped it off with her hand and began counting cows along the country highway. Seventy five, seventy six…oh, and a baby calf!  Why did it always take so long to get to grandma’s house? After asking for the hundredth time, ‘are we there yet?,’ she settled into daydream mode, and recounted all the reasons she loved grandma so much…

 She had married a wonderful man, the love of her life, and they settled on a farm to raise crops and children.  She gave birth to a boy and three girls.  They all worked the farm together.  Farm life was not easy, but it was good.  Then grandma began to have health problems. She spent a lot of time sick and ultimately lost one of her kidneys.Grandpa filled in the gap while she could not.  But always a fighter, she came through her infirmity stronger than ever, and raised her four wonderful children with her fierce mother love.

 Some years later, it was grandpa who got sick.  The strong farmer suffered a heart attack and later strokes that would change their lives forever.  Grandma now found herself as the breadwinner and caretaker.  She worked hard and laughed hard, and the little girl saw nothing but love and patience in her care for him.  Clearly, he was still the man of her dreams.  And she cared for him with her precious wife love.

 As her four children grew and married, she became a second mother to their spouses.  And each one felt as if they were her very own.  Family gatherings were accompanied by wonderful food and lots of conversation and laughter.  But grandmas laugh was always the loudest.  It was obvious that she enjoyed life and treasured her family.  And she embraced her ever growing family members with a welcoming mother-in-law love.

 The family continued to grow as her children began to have children of their own.  The little girl smiled.  She was the first grandchild and was convinced she was the favorite.  At least grandma always made her feel that way.  Always sharing a secret or an inside joke.  Taking her to pick out a toy from the dime store. Cooking with her in the kitchen.  Helping her set up a lemonade stand.  Teaching her how to embroider.  Any time they spent together special and unique.  Truth be told, the little girl was sure that all of the grandchildren felt that way.  Because she invested in each of them with an amazing grandma love.

She awoke to her mother reaching back and touching her leg, telling her they were almost there.  She rubbed her sleepy eyes and smiled in anticipation.  What would a visit with grandma hold this time?  As they pulled into the driveway, she saw grandpa and grandma standing there, excited and waving.  She could barely wait for the car to stop so that she could get out.  Jumping out of the car, she ran into her grandmas arms, as grandma lifted her off the ground and squeezed her tightly.  They both squealed in delight and knew that this visit, like all others, would be more than worth the car ride getting there.

What the little girl did not know then was that grandma would see many more things after that day. She would see her family grow in size.  The marriages of her grandchildren and the births of her great grandchildren.  And she would see her family diminish in size.  The death of her loving husband, and later her sweet great grandchild and wonderful son-in-law. She would eventually marry another precious man, and also be by his side when he passed away. Yet she would continue to smile her mischievious smile and laugh her enormous laugh.  And she would enjoy each minute of her life and the people in it with a tireless great grandma love.

The little girl is older now and sits today with her nose against the window.  This time she is on a plane and is heading to grandma’s house again.  It is grandma’s 90th birthday.  She smiles as she envisions what she will see when she gets there.   The same wonderful woman, a little bit older, possibly a little feistier, definitely just as fun, with a warm smile and huge laugh.  And she realizes all that this wonderful woman has given her- her legacy, her sense of humor, her spice, her strength, and best of all….her bigger than life grandma love.