Remembering the Good Times ...

Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city. Proverbs 7:19

During this health kick that I've recently got myself on, I've been trump tight on my water game. Sixty-four ounces, maybe more, down the drain a day.

I remember the first person to tell me about the "eight glass of water a day" rule, my grandmother, Ola Mae. She never found herself short on words. Never.

I started thinking about her today because of a recent conversation I had with JLBD (John Lennon's Black Daughter) concerning her grandfather passing (you know you're in my prayers) and the talk I had with Claff Huxtable last night about relationship examples from parents.

It got me to thinking, I know I had four great, grandparents. I never really knew their flaws all that much (although I learned later in life that Ola Mae had a propensity to lock her keys in her car). I just knew them for their words, deeds and truths - things that stick to me to this day like the water rule.

I remember Ola Mae's talk about kissing girls after I had my first kiss.

"Kissing is a close to fucking as farting is to shitting," she would say.

Or her rule about salting up food.

"If you want to die next week, put some more salt on it."

Needless to say, I've always been careful about where I put my lips, and I never put extra salt on anything (it actually disgust me). These are the words I remember most, will carry with me throughout my life and share with my children and grandchildren if I'm so blessed.

My mother's mom, Darlene (she prefered for just to use her first name because she was never that old, so she thought), bestowed many words of the wise on me before she passed.

My most fond memory came while I went through a trial I no longer remember.

She simply said to me, "Don't worry. Pray."

I remember the conversation we had just days before she passed in 2003 about how I had an opportunity to go to New York for an internship after I graduated, but how I was going to take a job at the local newspaper writing sports for security. She gave me her memory of New York, and rationalized why it wasn't a big deal that I wasn't going.

"You know, I went to New York in the 1930s before the World Trade Center was built. That's the last time I was there so I never saw it. If you go, you won't see it either, so we'll be in the same boat. You might as well stay here."

It didn't make much sense, but she was trying to have a little fun with a serious situation.

Man, memories I cherish, and I'm glad that I had the chance to know them, and they loved me dearly. I can't tell you how much I learned from these two, and my grandfathers about life and about what love really is.

I implore you, if you have grandparents still living, spend as much time with them as you can. Soak up every word they let loose from their lips. You'll be thankful that you did. Trust me.

Oh yeah, I'm currently at 214, that's down 23 since March 15. We're moving and losing.