After spending all morning and part of the afternoon making spaghetti sauce with my Grandparents yesterday, I had a revelation... I may have to preface this with the fact that Grandma's memory isn't what it used to be and when it comes to cooking, we need to give her a little assistance these days (and keep an eye on her to see what and how much spices she's adding). Well, yesterday we weren't quite sure if she actually doubled the spices (as she was supposed to) or just doubled some, possibly even forgetting one or two. After it had simmered for quite a while, we tasted it. Hmmm...a bit sweet. Maybe I'll add some more salt, and some more Italian seasoning...maybe a little more red pepper and another teaspoon of oregano. Still not right. What's missing? As Gram and I pondered, Grandpa knew what the problem was. He just didn't say. He knows that Gram forgets a thing or two...and maybe even accidentally dumps a little too much sugar in, but that doesn't mean he has to make a big deal of it.
After doing what we could to make an almost overflowing pot taste better, we canned the sauce. It wasn't until after supper (spaghetti, of course) that Grandpa whispered to me that he knew what had happened.
So maybe the secret to 59 years of marriage is to keep your mouth shut when it really doesn't need to be opened. Or maybe it's just smiling, despite the other's faults, and thanking God that they're still around.
I'll never forget when my Grandma was in the hospital the year I was down in Guatemala. I came home in December to be with my family. Grandpa admitted to me that he had spent a good part of the night on his knees because he's just not ready to let her go yet. It's no surprise to me that God answered his prayer that night. Here Grandma is doing well, 3 years later. Next year they'll celebrate their 60th anniversary, God willing.
When the temperature gets down to 20 below zero, the only way to escape it is.... by dreaming of somewhere warm. And by questioning, "Why God, did you call us to Northern MN?"
