Profiles in Craziness, part 2

Last night I told you about my grandpa, so naturally profiling my grandma seems to follow suit.
Jeanne Cordova, has also led quite an interesting life. She had somewhat of a rough past though. She was born (unforunately out of wedlock) to Helen Shue (at the time a young missionary girl to those savages aka Hopi Indians) and her father was the son of the Hopi Indian Chief who did some pretty great things in Washington for the Hopi tribe. Helen Shue raised my grandma on her own, and my grandmother certainly had some wild days. She settled down after she married my granpda though, and actually made a big turn around from her old days. My grandma has done some amazing things for tons of people. She began her mission "Roadrunner for Christ" back in the 80s. Roadrunner is what her Hopi name translates to. Anyway, this mission was run pretty much completely out of my grandparents house since its beginnings. My grandma collects food and clothing and toys from everywhere and back in her prime days of retirement, she would make 2 or 3 trips a month down to the poor people in Mexico and from the Hopi tribe in Arizona. She had this big 15 passenger van that she would take the stuff down in, and for awhile, my grandparents ran the whole show. When we were kids and spent time at their house, we always had to pack boxes or load up vans, or sort clothes. There were always boxes of donated items stacked inside their house. We actually used to go down there to Mexico alot too. They were different types of vacations, but I really appreciate it now. Well Roadrunner for Christ is still going strong, but my grandma doesn't really run it anymore. Unfortunately my Grandma is in the second of three stages of Alzheimer's. She's not completely gone yet, but she is definitely not anywhere near what she was. For those that may not know, Alzheimer's isn't just forgetting names and things. When you've had it for awhile, you eventually forget how to formulate sentences correctly and everyday tasks, sometimes things like telling time. It's really a hard disease to watch take over someone. especially for someone like my grandmother that was always so much of a leader, she was very independent and sharp. Now she almost completely relies on others for just about everything. It's hard to see the woman that had a big part in raising me revert back to needing as much care as a child does. But, my grandmother is still a big part of my life, and many others too. The complete selflessness that she's shown throughout her ministry never ceases to amaze me. When I was a kid, I really despised having to get up early on saturdays so the whole family could go help load up a van, but when I look back at all the good she's done for "her people" (she calls the Hopi tribe that) I makes me want to have even just a fraction of her character. So, there you have it folks, My grandma.

P.s. On a more humorous note, Alzheimer's can be funny at times too. Christmas gifts from her are always an experience. Last year, my 12 year old cousin Nicole got a set of Kitchen towels...straight from Grandma's kitchen. =) Always look for the humor in things.