Grahame has been like my "right hand" for the past several years. He was the one who had to witness me (his stupidly daredevil mother) trying the infamous "curb jumping attempt" on my bike last summer. Thank God, truly, that he was coming out of the house just as I was crashing in the front yard. It was Grahame who had to haul to my "sorry behind" to the emergency room while I held "old lefty" with my right hand and talked "like a sailor" all the way to the hospital. My choice of language was not the best that day and it's a good thing that Grahame didn't just kick me out along the way! In the weeks and months that followed, he fixed meals, tied my shoes, helped me to type my blog, tucked me into bed, picked up on the house, encouraged me when I was "down" and congratulated me when small successes came my way. In the 8 months that followed, I was able to recuperate and gain strength back because of his willingness to help me. For that, my dear son, I say "thank you."
As the days have grown closer to his departure, I have begun to realize just how much I have counted on him to do things for me here at home. Believe it or not, with a mom only 5 feet tall, Grahame is an entire foot taller than I am. His long arms reach effortlessly to take down things that I can only think of attempting by using a ladder, and a tall ladder at that. So when lightbulbs have gone out or I need something from the highest kitchen cupboard shelf and a host of other things, it was Grahame that always came to my rescue. Yet even with all of the help he has given me with those things, there is something even more crucial and ok, I gotta embarrassingly say it, that I've had to ask his help with. Ok, here goes (gulp)~I would be the very first to admit it to you friends, I understand little about technology. THERE, so I said it and in doing so, I can just imagine some of you reading this blog post saying, "I'm with you there sister. Been there, done that and still doing that.." Whew, and if so, if you are shaking your head in agreement with my plight of being "techno illiterate", then I thank you my friends for helping me to understand I am certainly not alone in this. There are many of us in the same "proverbial" boat and it has been Grahame who rescued me from sinking in it many a time.
Geesch people, from using the remote controls for the cable tv set up, to understanding the different programs on my cell phone~ from knowing how to reset the computer on my bike correctly to being able to install any program necessary to my laptop computer, Grahame has managed to do it all for me. It's been that way forever, and I must admit to the fact that I liked it that way. It was easier for me, the job got done much quicker and that's just the way it was, the way it always has been. So on Friday, when I went to Wal Mart to purchase a new scanner/printer for use at home, I had just planned to have Grahame install it for me, however that isn't exactly the way it all happened.
When I got from the store, printer box in hand, I said to Grahame, "You know, maybe I oughta try setting this up by myself for a change, since sooner or later, you'll be gone and I can't ask you to help me." I waited for a moment for him to say "Nah, Mom. I'll get it." Instead, he looked at me with a grin that I have seen many times in his life and said, "Yes, I think that's a good idea." Oh great, now what had I gotten myself into?
So for the better part of what seemed to be the next 8 hours, although in reality it was only about 45 minutes, Grahame's mom got a crash course in "tough love for a mother 101". For crying out loud friends, I could not even get the dang tape off of the box to open it up without his help. And after that bit of assistance, it was all mine to do. Now, mind you I'm very impatient and most of the time if faced with a chore like that, I just want to rip the box open and empty out what's inside. I like to skip over the first step, "the reading directions" part, because it just takes too dang much time for me. I like the "maybe this will work" plan although 99.9% of the time, that plan just plain sucks. So it was no surprise, I'm sure to Grahame, to hear me yell out within the first couple of minutes..."this is so hard son".
His response, more times than not, whenever I came up with a question about where on earth something was to go, was "Mom, what the directions say to do?" After about the 3rd time of him saying that, I came out of my bedroom and shot him a glance in the living room that was kind of a combination between a huge smile and a "mean mom" look. I figured out what was happening...in other words, I realized that I was getting a lesson in tough love and it wasn't very fun.
I stuck with it, making mistake, after mistake, after mistake, until shortly before an hour was up, I had the stupid thing installed. Grahame only had to suggest to me twice that I might want to consider getting myself a "cussing jar" to remind me to clean up my language. I regret my choice of words sometimes as I face life's many frustrations and I continue to work on making it better. Please bear with me as I do so try :)
Now, I must say that Grahame didn't let me flounder through that set up process because he wanted to be mean or hateful. He did it because he knew that if I continued to let others do stuff like that for me, that I would NEVER learn on my own. Grahame knew the time would come very soon that he wouldn't be around to do it for me any longer and it was high time for me to figure it out on my own. He told me all along that I could do it~he had faith in his mom. The end result was, he WAS correct. I was very capable of doing it on my own. All it took was patience and the ability to do something that I'm always reminding my students to do....READ THE DIRECTIONS.
Before he goes this upcoming weekend, he and I are going to have a little "crash course" in doing a lot of things around here that I've taken for granted being done by someone else for way too long. I AM going to figure out how to turn that TV/cable box on with the remote, learn how to air up my tires on my bike, master the "art" of weed eating, and find out where all the tools are that we have here at home. I have no doubt that Grahame will be more than willing to help me learn 'cause he's just that kind of son. And friends, even when times in my life were not the best and things definitely were going "polar opposite" of the way I had planned, you needn't have ever worried about me. Between Grahame, his brother Ricky, and his little sister Ursela, I have been well cared for and certainly well-loved by all 3. And to have 3 children you love, well THAT my dear friends, is quite a blessing.
Have a good night's rest family and friends. Tomorrow is a new day for all.
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