29 April 2008

Grandma Jo and Grandpa Gary

Lately I've been a bit distracted (sorry to those who are waiting on me). Grandma Jo (she's my bio-dad's wife, my stepmom and Grandma to my kids) is in a coma. Her surgeries went well, so we're just playing the waiting game for her to come out of the coma (they took her off the breathing machine recently, she's breathing on her own). If you're the praying type, please include her in your prayers for a healthy recovery.

Jo is a lovely lady (even if she weren't related). Her kindness radiates and you can't help but feel good around her. She and my bio-dad came into my life when I was 25, and I feel richer because of that. Not that I felt I was missing something, but the addition has been fun. They taught me how to play my favorite game, Mexican Trains (dominoes), and I'm extremely grateful for that ;)

She's active at her church in Candy Kitchen, NM, line dances on a regular basis, is an avid walker and great entertainer. Not like Cedric The Entertainer, but like having people over and socializing. My paternal grandmother lives in San Diego, CA alone, but Jo and Gary make a point to get over to see her on a regular basis without making her feel incompetent. Jo remembers our birthdays, anniversaries and holidays like clockwork (that's not my strong suit, so I admire that quality in others). She's enjoyable to be around, talk to and call a friend.

That's the snippet on Grandma Jo, but there's more that involves Grandpa Gary... Long story short, this is my bio-dad, Gary (I call him "dad," but some get confused because I call my dad that raised me "Daddy" instead of stepdad). He wasn't around from when I was 2 until I was 25, but it's kinda creepy how much alike we are. His sense of humor is similar to mine, we are both dang smart (teehee) and he's sooo non-drama. So much non-drama that he didn't bother to tell me about Jo's recent condition right away (a couple weeks) or how his gall bladder had to be removed in an emergency surgery during all the hooplah. I can see a little why he didn't want to bother us with the bad news, hoping she'd pull out of it and he could call with good news, but next time (if you're reading this) I'd sure like to know much sooner than later ;)

Here we are at Sundance a few years ago when they came to visit. We all had a blast (and we played more Mexican Trains than you could imagine, and I could've played more). Piper liked getting cozy with Grandma Jo while watching a movie. I absolutely love Jo's smiles :) Piper likes to do this weird face when I have the camera pointing at her. But I loved this one of Jo and couldn't pass up the chance to show her off.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh she sounds lovely. I'll definitely be praying for her.

The similarities between our families are amazing. It is very much like my bio-dad to not want to worry me and leave out important details.

Anonymous said...

Prayers for sure. Thanks for sharing the photos and the stories.

Elena said...

You are in our prayers.

And I can bet that HC and I can beat you in Mexican Train :)

Eddie Bojorquez (Studio 512) said...

I'll be praying too. We're doing the same waiting game for my great aunt after her stroke at my wedding. Jo sounds like a similarly cool lady in a number of ways. Keep us posted.
-E

Jenny Miller said...

Hope everything turns out! We will keep her in our prayers!

Geo said...

God bless those good faces and dear hearts (yours included).