The One Where Frances Turns 103

This great lady turned 103 yesterday! 

The children made her a card with 103 circles on it, and a bunch of nice compliments.

While they were coloring, I suggested they think of what their birthday wish for Frances is, and Quincy said, "I'm going to tell Frances how much I will miss her when she dies. And Congragulations for making it to another birthday because most people who try to do it don't last so long."

Um yeah. So I'm glad we had that little talk before we were at the party. 

Frances looked great! She really has made a comeback from the last time we saw her.  She said she was so glad we'd come to see her again and that she'd been waiting to meet the new baby.

Quincy jumped right in for the birthday hug.  She had a party with balloons and cake and the children sang to her. She told us she was all dressed up because the mayor had come by to take a picture with her and another resident, who also had a birthday this week (102!)

She had a little chat with Soren and invited us up to her room so she could hold the baby and let the kids find a place to display her card. 

I dare say Frances has more spring in her step than I've ever seen.

103 years between these two beauties. A century of life lived! It's amazing to think of the things Frances has seen and experienced, and the century that lies ahead for the tiny Sloane in her arms. How different their lives will be!  I'll treasure this snapshot for the perspective it gives me: two women from different times, together for just a stitch. 

This moment was just a tick mark in the passing of time between two lifetimes. 

Happy 103rd Birthday, Frances! The pleasure of having your friendship is truly ours. 

Frances' First Mother's Day

We stopped by to see Frances after school today and took her some gifts for Mother's Day. She was very surprised and very happy to see us.  She said she has never been celebrated on Mother's Day before bevause she never had children. Silly Frances, you don't habe to bear children to be a mother. We celebrated her I thanked her for her love and friendship to my children.  

Corbin asked, "but what about your family?" and she answered that she doesn't have a family but she came from a wonderful mother that she misses very  much. She told us about her own mother, Nellie Irene. She told us about quilting with her friends and how she gets bored when it rains because there are no birds to watch out the window, but being bored is part of life when you are 102 years old. 

Frances hugged and thanked each of the children and played a game of catch from her chair with Corbin and the little stress ball we made out of a balloon filled with flour to help strengthen her hands. It was a sweet visit and she asked us to come back and see her soon. On the way home, we decided that it might make her happy to be called, "Grandma Frances". We'll have to test it out on our next visit. 

A Letter for Frances

Remember when I took the girls caroling at Concordia at Christmastime and Q fell in love with a 100 year old lady named Frances? Well she talks about her all the time, and made her a card last week. 

It was harder than I thought it would be to track her down. Apparently Frances was a very popular baby girl name 100 years ago. After many phone calls we found her and scheduled a playdate for Quincy with her new BFF.  

We went to Concordia after church on Sunday and the children were armed with cards, pictures, and letters. 

We were well received. Frances showed us her treasures and answered Quincy's many important questions, like, "What is your favorite color?" and, "When is your birthday?" I'm also very glad Frances is hard of hearing because the first thing Quincy said after marching on up to her in her room was, "Well Frances, I'm surprised to see you here. Most people start to die when they get to be 100." 

I know that at some point I need to teach Quincy to exercise some amount of filtering before she speaks, but I also just really love the bold honesty of her words. 

We learned that Frances will be turning 102 next week and that her favorite color is aquamarine. We also learned that she is a bit of a minimalist. Her room is very neat, especially for someone her age. Her side table and little shelf were full of treasures and necessities, but every other surface of her room was very tidy, with very few possessions. A covered sewing machine on the desk, some relics on the walls, a neat stack of folded blankets, a quilt and one pillow on her adorable jenny lind antique twin bed. It's interesting to think that after living almost 102 years, all that this woman has to her name can be displayed in a tiny bedroom. It is a happy place full of things that she loves, and very clear from the messages on her walls that the things she loves are not "things". Her room is clean, simple, and lovely. 

Look at those faces. Frances took to the children right away and asked a few times if we were "part of her relations."  We replied, "No, we just really like you!" The staff later informed me that Frances never married or had children and the few family members she has nearby (a couple of nieces) haven't visited her until recently when she turned 100, and even then only come by twice a year around her birthday and Christmas. 

Quincy's eyes lit up at the thought of another birthday to celebrate. We will go back for her party next week, and Quincy is on a mission to find an aquamarine flower pot to give her.

Frances gave the children a hard candy, much to Corbin's delight. I was also a little surprised by Corbin's gentleness with her. He sat on the side of Frances' chair and stroked her arms and patted her back lovingly and was totally aware of how fragile she is and how much she needed his tender affection. 

After our 20 minute visit with Frances, we walked the hall quietly and visited with anyone who welcomed us there. A man named Dennis had a conversation with them all and invited us to come back and visit anytime. He walked us out and said, "goodbye, wonderful children, come see us again!" 

We will definitely be back to visit. The total time we spent at Concordia was probably only 30 minutes but in that short time the children received valuable lessons on service, friendship, aging, and compassion that I could never have taught them with words. 

When I was very young, my brother and I had a friend named, Margaret. She was really Scotty's friend... I think he was only 6 when they met while she was taking a walk down our street and he was out playing in the front yard and he asked her, "What are you?" her reply was, "I'm a Grandma, what are you?" As I grew older, I joined him on visits to her room at the retirement home at the end of our street, and later, my friends Annie and Emily went over there with me a few times, too.  I have memories of walking down and "picking her up" for walks and she would tell us stories while we walked. We'd make cards and pick flowers for her and probably knocked on her door way too often, but she always had us inside and gave us See's caramel suckers. 

There is so much to be gained from these special friendships and it pleases me that little Quincy has adopted a "Margaret" for our family to grow to love. I see many visits to Concordia in our future. 

"This one. Smile, Frances, you're the oldest woman in the room."