Things We do For Love- 100 word stories week 32...

Grandma, once a young wife and mother, now 82 and without Grandpa, looks forward to her Sunday family dinners. This gathering of loved ones keeps her young, planning and preparing one huge meal after another.

With trembling hands she'll peel potatoes and snap beans, put out her best tablecloth and napkins. These days though, she needs our help and we gladly though deceptively comply. A pinch of salt in secret, a few spices behind her back; we all love her dearly and would never dream of telling her the truth. After all it's not about the cooking it's about family.

Kathy Neilsen

Word Count: 100

Comments: 17

Deloris Wright Sep 22, 2008, 10:44pm EDT

I liked it. It sounds like my family

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Sheila Deeth Sep 22, 2008, 11:39pm EDT

How lovely!

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J R B. Sep 22, 2008, 11:47pm EDT

Very nice loving story.

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Marge H. Sep 23, 2008, 6:36pm EDT

Love it. A beautiful story of family love.

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aratma d. Sep 24, 2008, 8:16am EDT

Thank you for the warm story.
I can almost smell the spices. And imagine the accomplice smiles.

Beautiful drabble!

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sheila h. Sep 24, 2008, 1:24pm EDT

That is beautiful,Kathy..
you told a lovely tale of when a lie is good....

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Tracey W. Sep 24, 2008, 8:11pm EDT

Wonderful! You really captured the spirit of the prompt. What a sweet story.

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Tanya P. Sep 24, 2008, 8:13pm EDT

Beautifully told. It reminds me of when I was caretaker for my parents and a friend during their times of need. I strove to leave them with every ounce of dignity I could, discreetly of course. I love your take on this week's prompt and appreciate how well written it is. Great job of honing words!

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Heather ~of the Whippets~ M. Sep 25, 2008, 9:52am EDT

Sweet story.

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lynn a. Sep 25, 2008, 10:34am EDT

Of all the white lie stories, this is the one that I can actually almost thinking the lie is okay. But then, adding the salt is just like adding poison to the food. Maybe Grandma was cutting the salt out on purpose. My mother-in-law, who has just turned 80 years old, so many years ago started cutting down on the salt, it progressed to cutting out most of the salt, and today she has had the sugar cut out for a couple of years now. My father-in-law fussed and fumed during each transition, but now he tells the virtues of no salt and no sugar. The main point is they are both alive and well and functioning to tell any stories. So, I don't think I'd lie to Grandma. I'd just eat the food unsalted, and be grateful. Still, I do understand this white lie when none of the others made a bit of sense to me.

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Kathy N. Sep 25, 2008, 2:12pm EDT

Thanks everyone for the visit and encouraging words

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Jan S. Sep 25, 2008, 5:13pm EDT

Lovely! I've been in this place, too. It is about love and family, and also not letting grandma put in 4 tablespoons of chili powder and burn our mouths to cinders.

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