Grandma's Choice

On the wall of her apartment is a picture of a WWI doughboy with a horse. It is a really old picture, one that we would certainly purchase at auction if it came up, thinking that the soldier in it is long forgotten. When you ask the red haired woman who resides here about the picture, she will happily tell you that it is her brother, Rick. If you are lucky, you might learn from her that the whole family was distraught for six months, thinking that he was dead, gone down with the ship he was on as it steamed its way to Europe. Turns out that he was mailing a letter and literally missed the boat.

She remembers a lot of history. The great depression and world war two are not history book events to her, but current events, just from earlier in her life. She has worked in factories, raised her children, helped with her grandchildren, great grand children and even great great grandchildren, survived divorce, death of uncounted loved ones, and many of her contemporaries.

The Cold War came and ended in her adult memory. Seventeen men have held the office of the president during her life. She has seen the good, the bad and the ugly.

Family members wondered about how she would vote during this election season. The Democrats have always been able to count on her, but this year seemed different.

Her story has made the rounds through the family in the past week. She told her son, “Yes, I went to vote early, and I thought and thought, and decided that I had to vote for the democrat. I couldn’t vote for the communist.



“I voted for John McCain.”