My Grandmother, Emma Monner celebrates her 100th birthday on 10-08-2011.I am honored to be able to share a little bit of this amazing woman with the world, she is a one of the strongest women I have ever met, soft spoken yet firm, slow to show anger and quick to laugh. She finds a lesson in everything she does and shares it with whom ever is near. Her creativity is endless, I have grown up hearing her say ”You could make that” and even in her 70’s and 80’s she was practicing what she was preaching. She had a full wood shop, sewing room, the back porch set up as a do it all studio with everything from plaster of paris to paints, and her dinning room table was full of the latest craft projects that were removed for dinner followed by a card game. Leave her alone with the kids, some paper cups, twine and a pen and you’d come back to a puppet show.
Give her a simple white table cloth and it would be returned with a crocheted edge and maybe a bouquet of flowers painted in one corner.
Truly a well rounded woman, she would get her deer every year and make the worlds best fudge as well. One year, not to long ago, I believe she was in her late 80’s she was hunting with the family in eastern Oregon and had complained of a stomach ache, once she had her tag filled she said it was time to take her to the doctor, she had her appendix removed that night. She has lived a long and wonderful live and has seen so much of history that I am constantly in awe. She was born before any of the world wars, in a time when there were only 144 miles of paved roads and 8,000 cars. The average wage was 22 cents per hour and 90% of all doctors had no college education. There were only 45 stars on the American flag, no Mothers Day or Fathers Day and heroin was sold over the counter.
She lives a simple life and enjoys the moment that she is in, takes each day as it comes and sees each person for who they are, accepts and supports them on their journey. Having her gives me a refreshing outlook on the madness that tries to consume my daily life, and adds perspective to what is truly important.
On this day I wish her the very Happiest Birthday and a well deserved hip hip hooray!!!