My Vain Wish

Do you ever admit to your truly selfish wishes? I have one that I'll admit. I want to age like my mother and her mother. At fifty-something and eighty-something they have defied time. At twenty-something, I am starting to take notice of fine lines and lack of elasticity. Does it scare me? Maybe a little. I really try to say to myself, "God has already planned the way you will look later in life, and you can't sway his opinion." Yet I find myself eyeing creams and lotions in the drug store.

My Grandma Donner (mom's mom), like most women, probably does not have a glowing self-image. She was strickened with polio as a child and lost one leg. She was always a small child, and was made fun of. After marrying my Grandpa and having five children in six years, some told her that she was too big.

My Grandma Donner is a beautiful woman, and I tell her so. I tell her that people say I look like my mother, and my mother looks like her mother. I tell her that I take that as the deepest compliment. The body that God gave her is doing very well, inside and out. I hope she is proud of every mark and scar, because I am. She is my supermodel.

On Sunday, my mom invited her parents over to celebrate both Mother's Day and Eli's birthday. Grandma told me that she had received my Mother's Day card, and it was hanging proudly on her bulletin board. Then she grabbed me at arm's length and hugged me so hard that I had to put real effort into not falling on her. It was a good, strong, hard hug-the best kind. It was good to see her.

Before Christy left, Aubree took a picture of us girls. Grandma grabbed mom's hand and held it tight.

So, either by the grace of God or genetics at it's best or both, I hope this is an age progression shot of myself. My vain wish is to look like my supermodel-inside and out.