I can’t believe how much Grandma giggled

& how it felt like pure religion

We put Grandma in what I affectionately call “puzzle prison.” She sits on the couch with a long table in front of her, making escape difficult. We scatter the pieces and begin.

Grandma seems to be in a pretty good mood, so I prop my phone up on a water bottle and start filming this very typical weeknight. I hadn’t planned and don’t have any plans for the video. It just felt like a very normal moment we might want to remember later.

The windows are dark and the room lit up bright. The puzzle is a cozy camping scene. Grandma’s rhythmic, quiet “do-do-dos” are nearly always present. Conversation starts and stops between the other five family members milling about the house. Christina puts down her flashcard to help Great Aunt Ann with a small task, and afterward Aunt Ann offers her usual quip: “Now what do I owe you?” Cousin Sandy pipes in that she’s told Aunt Ann “a million dollars” but she never pays up. 

Puzzle pieces in hand, I get into that happy state of flow so rare in our world of distraction and occupation. Grandma seems to be in it too. Her usual Alzheimer’s-fueled fears are distant, seemingly unable to break through our bubble of puzzle.

The “do-do-dos” continue. She occasionally looks at me and says something only partly cohesive. I offer her a puzzle piece. She immediately says no (for no apparent reason) and I laugh.

Time passes but I don’t notice. Grandma and I celebrate each time we find a piece, high fiving or hugging. We are almost done when Christina comes over with a handful of pills for Grandma. She is in such a good mood that she takes them not only immediately, but with a giggle. Soon she is laughing so hard and none of us have any clue why, but we all love it. We all laugh too and I can’t stop hugging her.  

Then all too soon each puzzle piece has found its place. Her project done, Grandma begins the process of standing up. She chants, “And a one! And a one!” as she rocks her body forward and back, trying to coax it into standing. With help from Christina, she is on two feet. And our puzzle bubble is broken. Which makes me sad because it was so cozy and calm and slow inside. Grandma was happy and warm and sweet inside. 

I begin to clean up the pieces and remember my phone has been recording! All those adorable Grandma laughs have been captured! Yes! A little bit of puzzle bubble to take with me. That evening was so calm, so happy. The experience felt very right, very needed. Very pure. I better understand James chapter 1 verse 2 now:

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

I edited down the footage to about nine minutes. I find the whole video quite soothing, but the very best laughs are in the last four-ish minutes, if you want to skip there <3. Video taken April 25.