Rummy

The other day, I was checking in with a teenager and their family. This particular family I have been working with for years! The boy's Grandma and I have gone through many changes over the years with her grand kids. I feel blessed to be a part of their support, and fortunate to build healthy interpersonal relationships with their family and all of their moving parts. With that said, I met someone that I have never seen in their house the other day. This person was Auntie B, 91 years old, and 91 years filled with opinions. The first thing she said, as I was walking over to give Grandma my customary hug, "you have a white fella in your house"! Grandma, grand kids all began to chuckle. She then looked at me, with these unknown eyes, I could feel her questions, but no words were coming out of her mouth. The teenage boy, came over and gave me the hand shake, and whipped out the cards! I sat down on the couch, in between his two sisters, and across the the table from Auntie B. All of sudden I had a three year old and five year old jumping from my lap, and the other holding on to my back laughing. Grandma in the background yelling, don't beat up Uncle Tod, we still need him for another 10 years. The cards were dealt, I'm trying to hold my hand, balance kids, and hear how the teenage girls are dealing with boy problems. In the mean time, Auntie B, opens her mouth and sneezes. Bless you's filled the room, but mine was first. She looked at me, and said, "whatcha you say"? I reported, bless you mam. She then called for me to come over. Everyone stopped playing rummy, and it was so quiet. I had two put the kids down, get up, and wiggle my way over to the other side of table where Auntie B, was sitting in the recliner. I approached her, she then said to come closer. I bent down, and she replied, "mister, there outta be something wrong with you, but I can't figure it out, you are the first white person, that I wanna believe is genuine"! Grandma came over and said, "Auntie B, he fooled me too, years ago, but God told me if he could play rummy, he was real"! We played three games of rummy, I of course did not win one! Life is about helping others, know matter what race, color, age, or orientation. Rummy may just be a game to some, but in this case rummy was the thread to three generations of watching a family grow. Stay in your health, stay in the moment.