97 Years Young

Every so often, I stop to think about how lucky I am to have a big family. A big, local family. I am the oldest of almost 30 1st cousins (the youngest is 12), I have 10 aunts and uncles (I have an Uncle who is a year older than me!), and many more great-aunts, great-uncles, 2nd cousins, etc. I still have grandparents.

One thing that I never realized, is how rare it is to have a great-grandfather.

My Jaju is 97 years old. He is my Dad’s grandfather…my grandmother’s father. My daughters’ great-great-grandfather. Up until very recently, he was still driving his own car (not saying it’s a great idea, but pretty noteworthy!) and he took care of himself at home. He had a fall recently, and broke his hip. They were worried about his health and age when they operated, but he came out kicking…but it reminded me that he’s getting old. I just never really saw it before now.

I love seeing him at family functions, with his red (or sometimes green), fancy-schmancy suit and his string tie. His standard uniform. Some say he looks like Colonel Sanders. I don’t disagree.

My great-grandmother died years ago, but I didn’t really know her. He had a companion, Mary, who became part of our family, but sadly, she died a few years ago, too.

I found this photo from 5 years ago. 5 generations of my family in one picture. A photo I feel so lucky to have. It’s my daughter, me, my father, his mother and her father (with his ‘friend’ Mary.)

Related posts:

1. Movin’ Out
2. Monday Meme Time – I’ve been tagged
3. Courage. A post about my father.

Tagged as: family