85

Grandma turned 85, and her birthday bash was celebrated amongst relatives this past weekend. I spent ten lovely hours rubbin' elbows with cousins and aunts and uncles. My great uncle held a speech that reminded me how the women of my mum's clan have a common trait, namely that they can't keep their eyes dry. I guess that means we are sentimental. The nostalgia of a time that existed before I did--before my mum was a twinkle in her parents' eyes or before any wrinkles dared show themselves on my grandma's face--but continues today in our shared lives, somehow touches me when I hear older relatives reminiscing, thanking, honoring and sharing about it. Speeches hibernate in everyday life, but such occasions as 85th birthdays are perfect for rousing into kind words those memories and feelings that have been sleeping in the heart...even if they make me cry.