For my Grandma

My grandma, my mom's mom, always told me I would write her book someday.  I don't know if I could write a whole book about her, but I will at least write a blog about her. :)

My grandma, Wanda Sypherd, was raised in an orphanage in Texas with her sister.

After she and her sister were born, the state decided that her mother would not be able to take care of them, so they were placed in the care of her grand parents.  Her grand parents then put her and her sister in the Lina Pope Home in Fort Worth, Texas, where my grandma then lived from about 3 or 4 until age 18.

She got into some trouble while she was living there.  She would sneak out at night and climb down the flower gate on the side of the home to get out, to go meet boys, of course. lol :)

She was adored as she got older by the younger girls in the home.  They were always asking if they could paint her nails or brush her hair. :)

She said they mostly just ate beans and peanut butter.  That is what she was mostly raised on.

She was very multi-talented from the beginning and got involved in tumbling for the S.O. shows, the shows for the army.

She entered a sowing contest and won, which was a total shock to her, because she hated sewing.

She won Girl's State and got to go to a conference with tons of ambitious young women who inspired her to go to college.

She paid her way through college mostly by doing ironing, house work, and babysitting.  Her dad also helped her pay for college.  (wouldn't it be nice if we could pay our way through college now doing housework lol)

An interesting fact about her, she did not learn to drive until she was about 40 or 50.  I think it was because she got in a horrible accident with a guy she was dating when she was in her teens and that scared away from wanting to drive for quite awhile.

She met my grandpa in college and they courted for quite awhile.  Their dates consisted of playing Chinese checkers in the student hall for the most part.  She thought my grandpa had money because of the nice clothes he always wore.  But it turned out he was just borrowing his room mate's clothes to impress her. lol :)

They ended up getting married on the Bride and Groom show about two years after they met, which was a public broadcast show on TV based out of New York.  You can youtube the Bride and Groom show and see an example of what the show was like.  It had been her dream since she was little to get married on that show and she did. 

When she would watch it growing up in the home she would tell all the other girls, "Someday I'm going to be married on that show," but they didn't believe her. :)  Another lesson in not giving up on your dreams. :)

After they married my grandma taught High School English and Drama for two years while my Grandpa went through seminary to become a church choir director.  She said she mostly wrote his papers for him, which I always thought was funny.

Then she got pregnant with her first child, my uncle, and did not work again after that.

Four years later she had my mom.  :)

They traveled the country and went to every state fair they could.  They have crazy stories of camping in the rain, getting caught in a sand storm, and traveling all over the U.S.

I think my mom moved about 12 times growing up.

She later had two more children, my aunt and uncle. 

When my mom was 12 my grandma had a bit of a nervous breakdown, which left my mom and her brother to care for their two younger siblings for the most part.

After having children, my grandma has had a bread ministry to homeless or poor people.  She would pick up tons of day old bread from grocery stores and pass it out.  She and my grandpa went down to an orphanage in Mexico several times, taking them toys and furniture etc. 

At one point she had 6 houses, one that I helped her clean out when I was 14, three on the same corner in Upland, a house in Diamond Bar I think, and their most recent house in Anaheim.

They never had a pet as far as I know.

Her and my grandpa love to swing dance or dance to big band music.  They were always in plays in church and singing in church.  They are very good at harmonizing when they sing. :)

My grandma loves to be on stage entertaining people.  She loves to make people smile and laugh.  She loves to brighten other people's day. 

She often calls perfect strangers her angel, as a way of witnessing, but also to encourage and build their self-esteem.

She is big on making everyone around her feel valuable and loved, which she does successfully most days. :)

She said when she was a teacher, the only trick she used was to tell her students they were special and that they could do something that no one else could do; positive reinforcement. :)  She was told this by a matron in her home growing up.  She also told me this in my teens years, which did really boost my self-esteem and confidence in myself at the time.

She has always been huge on nutrition and knowing what is good to eat and what is not.  She is very much against anything with sugar, which was hard for me cause I've always been a fan of ice cream. :)  So she came off as a bit of a kill joy, but it was all looking out for our best interest I know.

She used to take tons of vitamins.  She's big on onions, garlic and cabbage.  I remember her telling me if I would eat a handful of cabbage I would live forever. :)

Her and my grandpa used to always go on walks around the neighborhood eating a big carrot as they walked.  My grandpa has always been big on jumping on a mini trampoline in their living room.  He said jumping is the best exercise you can get.

They both would ride bikes a lot.  They had a tandem bike that they enjoyed riding together.

She has now been married to my grandpa for over 60 years.  They have had some rough patches, but every marriage does.  But they never gave up on each other.  They love each other deeply, even if they don't always act like it. :)

They both love God more than anyone I have ever known.  They both have tried to serve God more than anyone I have ever known.  They have brought many people to faith through their charm and service to others. 

My grandma is very convincing.  She can convince you to do almost anything.  She definitely has the power of persuasion, which you have to to be a teacher.

I think my grandma regretted not teaching more.  She always talked with such a glow about the two years that she taught.  She would bring scrap books over and want to share them with us and reminisce about the students she had.

She always talked about a particular woman in her home growing up that really inspired her, Mom Dire.  She was a woman who would not give up on her, my grandma.  She believed in her, and that really helped my grandma to want to excel and impress her in any way she could. 

My grandma lived a great life, better than anyone I have known, and I know when she gets to heaven God will give her a huge hug and definitely say to her, "Well done my good and faithful servant."  And I bet she will get one of the biggest houses in heaven for all she has done. :) 

She really did a lot in her lifetime and helped a lot of people.  In some ways, she is a legend, to our family at least.

And that is her story that she always told me I would write for her someday. :)