The Best Sandwich I’ve Had in Quite a While

I recently found myself out in Orange County for work.  As luck would have it, the café I had a meeting with was about 10 minutes from my grandmother’s house.

I gave her a ring the day before, and told her I had two reasons for calling.  First, I was calling to say hi.  Second, I phoned her to see if I could say hi in person the next day.  I could hear her delight as I asked, and noticed her getting choked up as we ended our short conversation.

You see, I’m pretty sure my grandmother isn’t fully human.  In fact, if I were to guess, I would put that percentage at less than 50%.

The other part of her is pure angel.

She is the sweetest, most loving, easy to laugh human being I’ve ever been around.

When situations come up that would get most of us down, she just laughs a genuine, joyful laugh that says she trusts that everything is going to work out just fine.  It’s as if she is blessed with some larger perspective that the rest of us don’t posses, and she lets us in on it every now and again.

When you meet her for the first time, she will give you a warm hug and treat you as family from the get-go.

She is one of those people who can’t help but make a mark on those she interacts with, because that’s just who she is.  She doesn’t have to try—she just loves on people naturally, and they leave feeling boosted up and with a warm assurance that they’re not half bad after all.

Being around her challenges me to show genuine love for others.  While she may posses a bigger love bank from which to give, she shows me that she gives what she has, regardless of circumstances.

She challenges me to give what I can—that generosity of spirit is a conscious decision that can be made, and when made, it blesses those around us.

This generosity of spirit finds its way back to her—as she’s had health issues in recent years, there seems to be no shortage of people wanting to help.  Siblings will drive an hour to take her to see the doctor.  Not out of obligation, or because there’s no one else to help—no, they drive an hour because she’s a pleasure to be around and they want to bless her the way she blesses others:  with the company of love.

She genuinely delights in others, serving them with selfless hospitality and making them feel like someone special…

I arrived, we sat down on the couch, and just shot the breeze for a while.  I showed her pictures of some of our recent family trips, talked about the boys and their love for soccer, and heard stories of her childhood as well.

When it came time for lunch she refused my help, saying something about how making a sandwich gave her something to do, and at her age, she gets bored so it was a welcome distraction. 

So she joyfully made two sandwiches—one for me, one for her—two slices of bread, some mayo, a slice or two of lunchmeat, cheddar, and lettuce.  She apologized for not having a pickle to garnish the plate, but cut up an apple for me instead.

We sat and ate, shifting our conversation to parenthood, and the joys of raising children.  As it came time for me to leave, my offer to help clean up was met with a cute laugh and the reminder that cleaning up helps keep her busy.

Typical.

I left her house with a spring in my step—a tangible reminder of the powerful effect we can have among each other when we just show a little bit of love…