Blue Flower Project

I love to hear my grandmother tell stories about when she was young. One particular story had me laughing for hours. Back when she was young, she lived with her parents and her grandparents. It was not uncommon, back then, for extended families to reside together. Her father had been in the Army. Her parents lived in England when she was born. When he was discharged from the military, they moved back to their hometown. The house that her grandparents lived in was much too small for the entire family, so they built and addition. They planned to install a fireplace in the additional space, but her father and grandfather were disagreeing on the one that they should choose. Their “how to choose the perfect fireplace” disagreement led to a dispute that lasted for years. After getting into a fistfight, they chose not to speak for years. They lived under the same roof, without saying a word to one other. As far as the fireplace, her mother and grandmother took it upon themselves to hire someone to install it for them. They simply told the man to install a fireplace. They did not offer any specifics, and they got what the man decided to install. One night, while sitting by the fire, her father and grandfather struck up a conversation. They were admiring the fireplace that the women had chosen and agreed that they had made a wonderful choice. They agreed to no longer disagree. In order to do so, they decided that when there was a choice to be made, they would allow the women of the house to make it.