The Josephine Files - Part 1

Every once in a while I have an incredible experience with my 85 year-old grandmother, who (unintentionally) cracks me up each time I see her. I think it's this reward that comes with old age - this ability to speak without a filter. No one can really stay mad at them, and everything thing they say is obviously the truth. You've earned your right to free and unfiltered speech. You've lived 85 years on this Earth and have dealt with more than someone my age can imagine (but believe me, I hear about it).

So I thought it would only be necessary to introduce you to Josephine, and hopefully you will get as much joy from these stories as I did experiencing them.

Last Christmas, we took a little family picture after dinner. Nice, right? What was even nicer, was when my Aunt thought to blow that picture up and frame it for my grandmother for her birthday in February. What a nice gift.

[fast foward to June] I'm visiting my grandmother, taking advantage of her homemade meatballs and sauce when I decided to wander around; looking at pictures, her old jewelry, perfumes - and that's when I saw it.

 

I guess she just did not like how she looked in this picture. Her picture was covered with a larger, 8x10 photo that she looked "much better" in. Taped over the frame, and cut precisely around her shoulders and head so you wouldn't even notice something was changed.

 

My first reaction was shock - I didn't even think something like this would occur to her. Or that she would care - this picture was on her bedroom wall. My second reaction was pure laughter. I had to ask her what her thoughts were that led to this.

 

She explained that her eyes were squinty; she didn't look well, in fact, she looked like some kind of "addict". Hmm.

 

This is why I've decided to start "The Josephine Files". These may not be weekly posts; sometimes she's off of her game and doesn't contribute her humor to our conversations. When they do happen, it's worth every minute.