:Author:   Christina Jordan
:Date:     Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:32:49 PST

So this is the bad girls corner, is it?

Well, let me lighten your urges to yawn at and hang each other with a true story for the New Year. 

My grandfather is turning 91 today. For the first time in years I spoke with him on the phone this past New Year's day, thanks to some fabulous new hearing aid technology. 

Last time I saw my grandpa, he was 89 and chasing hard after the 73 year old widow of a good friend of his who had died some years back. He wanted to marry her, and shared with me quite frankly then that the main reason he wanted to marry her was that he doesn't believe in sexual relations out of wedlock... Yep, at 89 my grandpa was still searching for passion. 

Well, unfortunately for Grandpa it seems not to have worked out with the lady. On the phone he shared that he's now finally resigned himself to accepting that it's unlikely *that* kind of passion is going to happen for him again... "So lately," he tells me, "my most enjoyable pastime is lying in bed thinking about ideas that might help the people you are working with in Uganda." 

I was *stunned.*

And delighted! I encouraged him to share and we spoke for 48 minutes (in a very lucid and intelligent conversation where I only had to repeat myself twice - I am so grateful for those hearing aids!) Grandpa told me about his ideas for making bricks from pressed earth and using precision methods to build smooth walls on round huts from square bricks. He's very excited about solar power and dearly wishes that his heart medication didn't make his hands too shaky to use a computer, or he'd be here with us - flying his rambling ideas up the flagpole to see who might salute them :) I had such a wonderful time *talking* to him (as opposed to the struggle it used to be to merely call to say "hello I'm thinking of you"). It was also great to be able to genuinely ignite fan his flame with all the convergences between the stuff that keeps his mind busy and Norbert's interests, and stuff we've already talked about for the farm. Reportedly when some family members saw him later that day all he could talk about was our conversation. 

So at 91, grandpa has discovered a *new kind* of passion :) We hung up with a pledge to have many longer conversations when I reach the USA in April, and I also promised to have Norbert bring all his technical drawings to show grandpa when they meet. 

Early in the conversation he had hinted that it didn't seem like there was much to live for any more. I'm pretty sure now he'll actively try to hang around for this year. I hope I can succeed in helping him to feel useful, and I am sincerely grateful to God for the technology that has given my grandfather back to me. 

OK ladies - I just had to share, and this seemed as gooda place as any to balm a few bitches OOPS I mean warm a few witches with a little uplift. Quick moral of the story? Our kind of passion never dies! Talking to each other and using our brains to imagine good things for the world just *may* be the way to stay forever young. Hell, it's fun too (unless you get stuck in a virtual corner by Gayle) so it's worth a try! 

Hugs to all for a great 2008.