Timeless Beauties

A few months ago my sister and I had a conversation.  It went a little like this:

My sister: (looking in magazine) Wow, Helen Mirren is on fire!

Me: (looking at magazine page over her shoulder nodding my head)  She looks amazing.

My sister: If I look like that when I am her age....(side eye with attitude and and strikes a diva pose)

Me:  Not sure if the world is ready for you just yet.  (cracking up laughing)

My sister:  Well, ready or not.....(chuckling and browsing through magazine again)


Fortunately Helen is not the only one looking great as she gets older.  There are many other women her age and older who are as my sister would put it "holding it down!"

Here are some of them, most of them over 70 years old.  Enjoy!

Cherio!

Don't Give Up The Fight (Guest Post by Shanda Neighbors)

It was summer break. My middle sister and I had been fighting. She has always been a feisty one. We had a summer war going. My sister was little, under five feet  tall. She's been that size since she was about ten, and she's still just so at nearly forty. Anyhow, growing up she had a huge Napoleon complex. She'd pick a fight with anyone, age, size, sex, didn't matter. My eldest siblings survived her somehow, but by the time she got to me, it was out of control. She was relentless.  I'm guessing me being younger, and she being older, she assumed that entitled her to kick my behind at will. I disagreed with that theory. I was about her size (at three yrs younger) but I was much stronger. 

That summer we had several physical fights before my grandmother  intervened, island style.  She warned us both, "I don't care who starts it. The next time I catch you two fighting, I'm going to fetch, and give you both a switch, and you can both wail (she used an island term) on each other. The first person who cries, will have to face me, and a switch of my own. Remember, I don't care who started it, but I'm gonna finish it."  By "wail on" she meant beat the snot out of.  I wanted no part of that. Now you'd think that warning was enough to scare my sister. She'd never won a fight against me, or anyone else for that matter. Picking a fight with a sibling that's sure to pummel you, is insane! What's worst is, having to face my grandmother after the fact! She's was no joke! But, true to form, and hardly a day later, here comes my sister ready to fight. I don't remember the exact action that started it, what I do remember is, before I knew it we were throwing blows for the "umpteenth" time that summer. Grammy, true to her word, saw the fight, and quickly produced two tamarind switches.

 For the sake of this story, I will tell you  that a tamarind switch is from a tamarind tree. They don't break. Ever. She gave us each one, and just as though she was beginning a race,  she said "go!" I remember thinking, "I don't care how much this hurts, I WILL NOT cry."  At the time, that thought was a departure from strategy. I had figured out early on that crying, got me out of, or significantly lessened impending trouble. Crying quickly became a part of my play book, but not this time. I knew that this time if I cried, I'd put myself in a worse position.  I was taking swats that hurt like the dickens, but I was determined to give ones that hurt even more. Remember how I said I was stronger than my sis? It sure didn't feel like it, but whatever strength I had, I used. I put every bit of power I possessed into the whacks I was delivering. I wanted to cry, but she actually DID cry. As soon as she did, it was over. Grammy grabbed her, and I was free to go. Lets just say she got dealt with. 

 I wish I could tell you that we never fought after that but that would be a lie. My sister being who she is, and me being who I am, have fought many times since. I will tell you this, our fights have been few, and far between.....and to date, they have never been in the presence of Grammy.

Today I was reminded of the best fights, and friends you'll ever have, siblings, family. They've taught me the art of love, and conflict. It's a vital, and invaluable lesson. I'm grateful. Perhaps some will find this story a bit cruel. I'll admit that in the Bahamas we do things a little  differently.  It's a different place, and that was a different time. To me it wasn't cruel it was guided instruction. That day I learned, there are times when you should fight like your life depends on it. I learned that present pain isn't always the whole story. I learned that you can endure more than you think, and I learned that Sarah Knowles (grammy) is a woman of her word!

Find more of Shanda's adventures on her blog www.aboutloveandtruth.blogspot.com

Touched By An Angel

Wanda Mcphee

Two months ago my grandmother whom I love dearly fell critically ill and we almost lost her.  That was a sobering time for not only me but my family on the whole.  You see my grandmother, Sarah, is the matriarch of the family and is the best human being I have ever known.  She is kind, loving, encouraging, funny, nurturing, selfless, smart, wise, forgiving and I can keep on going with the adjectives.  All of them positive, all of them true.  This woman inspires me like no other.

Wanda Mcphee

So when "Grammy" as we affectionately call her fell ill it was as if someone had pushed the "pause" button on my life.  Everything stopped and all that was left was raw nerves and heart ache.  There were so many thoughts going through my head.  I tried to find the positive in it.........nothing.   Finally a call from one of my sisters made all the difference.  My grandmother told her to cheer up and let everyone know (in case she didn't make it) that she had lived a good life and was looking forward to seeing her friends and loved ones who had gone on before her.  She was happy and excited to go to heaven. 

She had experienced a vision prior to falling ill in which she saw heaven in all its splendor and vividly described it to my mother.  She saw lots of people she loved  there and was overwhelmed with peace, love and joy.  In the vision she had stood at the gate wanting to go in so badly but an angel told her that it was not her time yet.  And it wasn't.  Though she is experiencing severe complications from diabetes at the moment she still continues to live life courageously and with joy.  She is thankful for every moment, even if some of those moments are painful.   I am not sure how everything will unfold with Grammy but I know that she will be all right even if this is her time. Her faith and love for  God and the testimony of her life gives me that confidence.   I will see her again.

Cherio!