The Queen of War Has Been Replaced!

One of my fondest memories was playing the card game War with my paternal grandmother.  We would visit them once a year in Florida during school break and they would visit for 2-3 weeks every summer when the restaurant was shut down.  No matter how hard we tried, my brother and I could never win. She always got the four aces in the deck. Mimi was unbeatable.

When my nephew was old enough to play cards, we taught him how to play War.  My brother became the one to beat since Mimi still lived in Florida and didn’t come to Connecticut too often.  Then her health declined severely and my father helped my grandfather move both of them back to Connecticut into an assisted living facility nearby.  It was too risky to keep them in Florida with no family nearby to help in an emergency and he needed help caring for my grandmother

Sadly, my grandfather passed away in 2010.  However, Mimi stayed at the assisted living facility where she is well taken care of and has family in close proximity.  For the first time since I was born, my brother and I now have both our grandmothers eating at the same dinner table on Sundays.  While we can’t get back all the years of separation in Florida, my brother’s children are getting a chance to know both their great-grandmothers.  And for the short time he was alive here, they got to know their great grandfather as well.  Aaron and I were lucky enough to have four great grandmothers up until 20 years ago when the last one passed away. 

Last night, after a Sunday dinner, my niece learned how to play War.  She is old enough now to know what numbers are bigger than others and is learning to read.  We suggested that she play Mimi to see if the queen of War was still unbeatable.  Surprisingly, the queen had to give up her title to a four year old.  It took two generations to find someone who could beat her.  However, she took it in stride.  After all, Mimi’s reign was very long and it was time for a new queen!