Grama's Buttons: (Color Version)

Grama loved buttons. All kinds of buttons. Her favorites, taken from clothing long since outgrown, rested in a pint mason jar that glistened on the windowsill, awaiting the occasional mending job. Sometimes, on lazy summer afternoons or cool autumn evenings, Grama would pour out into her palm a few buttons, carefully caressing each one, her sensitive fingers feeling what her eyes could not see.Mary Lillian Welman Eberle Chrysler, known as Grama Mary to all who knew her, came to live with us when she was 83 and had been given only two months to live. Her grandson was my husband, Steven, and we agreed to welcome this beloved lady into our already lively home with four children under the age of ten. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and blind for the past ten years, Grama loved to tell stories and laugh whenever an opportunity arose, and we gladly joined in.Those two months back in 1983 turned into twelve years that were filled with long-ago stories, heaven-bound conversations, and irreplaceable memories. Our family embraced Grama and gladly took care of her as her body and mind slowly twisted and dimmed. Everyone helped—little Jeff guided her to the bathroom, Steve carried her upstairs for her bath, Cher brushed her hair, Scott pushed her in her wheelchair, and Aaron was my runner. We learned to sacrifice our own pleasures to care for someone who could not care for herself. We learned to work as a team, caring for one another as each of us cared for Grama.We learned, simply, to love.~~~~~~Caring for a blind grandmother diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease while raising four children is not for the faint of heart. Throw into the mix a family business and lots of silly songs, and you have over a decade of unforgettable stories with no regrets.Geralyn Eberle Olayan eagerly embraced the privilege of caring for Grama Mary, her husband’s grandmother, and writes with honesty and sincerity about those days after she and her husband brought Grama home. Filled with heartfelt compassion as well as practical suggestions, Grama’s Buttons provides a realistic, affectionate glimpse into family life where love grows as memory fades. Read more