Thursday 24 November 2011

Happy Birthday Grandma!



Today, my Gran turns 88 years young.  This is the lady who swore blind that she wouldn't reach 80!

I'm sure many people feel this way about their Gran's, at least I hope so, but really, my Gran is a true inspiration.

She was born the second of eight children in a small two bedroom terraced house in Morley, just around the corner from where she lives now.  At the age of seventeen she signed up to the army, to get away from her family and her job in the mill.  While the war wasn't the best experience for many, she really came into her own during those years.  Her 'this is the life' moment was eating beans on toast in a cafe in Bristol.  She made great friends and probably had the kind of experience that most of us have at university these days.

She has had three husbands during her lifetime.  She was divorced from the first after he made her give up her post-war army job and tried to make her work in the family owned shop.  The second, my grandfather passed away after a struggle with cancer, but leaving her with her only child - my mother.  The third gave her a new lease of life in retirement but sadly also passed away due to a heart attack.

When she did reach the age of eighty, she found out she had cancer in her womb.  It was a very difficult time for our family and even though we stayed positive for her, it was hard not to worry, especially as she continued her predictions of not reaching her next birthday.  However, she beat it and has had the five year all clear now. 

She's now a great-grandmother - something many people don't achieve.

There are many more stories and many more ways that she has inspired me but she probably wouldn't want me sharing them on here!  She's not always positive and she does feel down at times (who wouldn't after outliving three husbands and six siblings) but whatever she says and feels, she has more fighting spirit than anyone I know and IF I live to see my 88th birthday, I hope I have half the happiness and spirit that she has.

Happy Birthday Gran!

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