 My grandma was always busy yet somehow always had time to listen and help. She left school after graduating from 8th grade to help her mother with the housework and her younger brothers. This was 1917 so housekeeping was a lot of work when there was no electricity or indoor plumbing. They raised their own vegetables and kept chickens in the backyard. They canned enough fruit and vegetables in the summer and fall to get through the entire winter.
My grandma went to Chicago when she was 16 to be a helper in the house of some family friends. Then she went to business school and started working in the office of a box factory when she was 18. She worked retail most of her life until she was in her 70s. Then she devoted herself to helpful projects such as knitting slippers, hats and mittens, making afghans for everyone in the family and then dozens of lap afghans to give away. She crocheted rugs for all of us, most of which are still in use all these years later. She made 100s of Christmas ornaments. She baked and cooked and took care of great-grandchildren. She was always cheerful and so happy to see you. She had many hardships and challenges in her life, but she kept persevering with grace and faith. She was not prone to self-pity or excessive thinking because she was busy and focused on the present moment. We were the lucky ones, reaping the tangible benefits of "staying busy."
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