the living ends

nanlex.jpg
These are the living ends of my lineage.
My mom had a great time visiting her one and only great grandchild. He’ll be three in July, and he just loves to talk and demonstrate all of his trucks. He also learned several words in Polish, which delights me mother to no end.
Spending four hours driving, the trip back home straight into the setting sun, pretty much wiped me out.
“Staroszcz nie radoszcz,” my grandmother used to say. My grandson can’t say that yet and has no need to. What he loves to say is “Na Zdrowie!” and clink glasses with you. He makes us laugh — the best therapy of all.

5 thoughts on “the living ends

  1. heh. Loosely but truthfully translated, the phrase with all the multiple “sz” and “cz” means “Old age is a bitch.” The other is the Polish toast “To your health.” My mother has begun talking more about her young years spent in Poland and sometimes she lapses into the language and doesn’t even know she’s doing that. She insists people on the television and radio slip Polish words in whatever they’re saying. You can imagine how proud she was of the former pope.

  2. That’s a great picture to have, Elaine. I have a similarly valuable one with my mother (91 this year), my grown-up son (34) & Reuben (18 months at the time) all huddled up together.

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