In honor of Mother’s Day, I’d like to introduce you to Laura Simpson, my maternal grandmother, who had a great influence on my life.
My grandmother was a woman ahead of her time. When other grandmothers were making cookies and talking about the good ol’ days, Mam Mam (her nickname because she considered herself “too young” to be a grandmother) was more interested in what was happening today. Long before I was aware of the latest fashions, she would bring me a sample of the newest style dress or shoes (if they were on sale). She also stayed abreast of current issues, and had an opinion on almost every topic.
In her early 70’s, she experienced her first broken bone which was a shattered elbow. She received this injury while skating with the kids at the roller rink where she took my aunt. It did slow her down somewhat, but not for long.
Her health was one of her greatest assets. She found it hard to understand why anyone would waste their time being sick when there was so much to do. Unfortunately, this attitude did not make Mam Mam the most empathetic of nurses when someone in the family was ill. She was sure that they were faking it.
Mam Mam was an ambitious worker in her early days, taking on many chores only a man would perform. The spirit of feminism was never far from her thinking, although she served her husband meals on time and worked by his side on the hard concrete floors of their implement company. Her knowledge of tractor and combine parts exceeded his plus she possessed a certain knack with sales and customer service.
She stood her ground on firmly held beliefs regarding morals (she was a T-totaler), honest work, and our family being as good as anybody else’s.
Mam Mam’s soft spot in her heart was reserved for children and animals. On the farm in the early years, she spoiled and made pets of many of the cows and pigs. She provided delightful treats of toys, special outfits, or birthday cakes laboriously created for all her grandkids. Yes, we were spoiled, too.
Mam Mam had lived through the dust bowl and the Depression, so she could pinch pennies till they screamed. Her best method of teaching me to budget was to provide me actual practice with money in my Junior high school year. She was moving to Arizona for my grandfather’s health when he retired. Before she left, Mam Mam set up a small checking account for me. So I had a little money and learned the hard way how to budget. At first, I went hog wild and had the most fashionable clothes at school, but when it was gone, it was gone. That was when I learned a valuable lesson about budgeting and the difference between wants and needs.
She showed her approval for my completion of high school during one of her return visits by loaning me her car, a Ford Fairlane 500. It was as big as a tank and steered like one too, but I appreciated the ride.
Then her Uncle Pete left her something new at that time, called a mutual fund; her husband thought it was garbage, but she carefully let it grow. When my college payments were due, she used her investment earnings to pay my tuition and books. Her future-minded vision provided me with a good education.
Again after I had completed my bachelor’s degree, and was headed to California to land a job as a Social Worker, Mam Mam bought me a brand new Plymouth. It served me well on the freeways and as I made home calls to my welfare clients, sometimes in some unsavory neighborhoods. She was proud of my status as the first one to complete a college degree in our family.
From her forward-looking perspective and her good health, people always guessed her as being younger than she actually was. Eventually, it all caught up with her and she began to seriously age in her 90’s. However, up to that point, she gave me an excellent example of living young at heart and showed me how I, too, can be a non-traditional grandmother.
Dianna
Sharing the Fruit of Maturity
