The grannies are everywhere - in plain sight, and having fun in many ways. Give them a reason to laugh, and they'll seize it with their sometimes blue veined or frequently pretty-polished nails on hands and feet. They're observant, smart and love their time of life. They adore their grandchildren, love having their company, and at the same time cherish the fact they can hand them back at the end of a visit!
They've redefined beauty. Those wise eyes look out to the world through an array of untouched and blissfully uncaring expression wrinkles. They're graceful, entering into activities like belly dancing, musical training, dragon boat racing, Tai Chi and a host of other physical activities. Computers and technology? Bring it on! They'll learn, and they'll thrive with it. Then they'll send jokes to each other, watch their families on Facebook, and trot around with their tablets. That doesn't mean their medications!
The 'Granny Hair' trend is something we can all get behind (25 photos)
That's the lighter look at grandmothers. But what does it take to be a grandmother, in this day and age? This is a time of global wars, greed and technology-caused mayhem. At the time of writing it's been estimated there are 60 million refugees in our world, mostly from Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia. More than half of them are from Afghanistan. That's an almost impossible number to even try and imagine, let alone guess how the world will deal with this.
Grandmothers are there for you
No wonder they're called GRANDmothers.
When you think about it, grandmothers share about 25% of a child's genetic overlap. This usually guarantees both an inordinate love for a grandchild, a promise that the love is unconditional, and an excuse for giving privileges of all kinds that wouldn't have been dreamed of with their own children.
But you don't necessarily have to be a birth grandmother to have an extraordinary, beautiful and loving relationship with a child. You get step grandchildren too, who are dearly loved.
Organizations like Find a Grandparent give opportunities too for children to have this precious guidance.
Grandmother of all
Grandmothers banded together and protested vigorously on the steps of Parliament.
The imprisonment of refugee children is an ongoing source of great debate in Australia, and of course continues to be raucously fought by the grandmothers.
Raging grannies
The grandmothers rage against "...the conditions in which people are forced to endure their lives and about the state of the Earth we are leaving for our grandchildren.
We rage against a system that has allowed this to happen, and the institutions that perpetuate the atrocities against our planet: toxic waste dumps, landfills, nuclear facilities, gas pipelines, and hydro towers."
Do you have a grandmother story to share?
Highlights
Wishing you a safe and beautiful weekend,
Vicki