For some reason, I have been thinking about my Grandma this week. Have you ever had one of those weeks?
My Grandma was the glue that held our family together. There was always something good cooking at her house and everyone was welcome. On Sundays, she would cook up a big pot of chicken and dumplings and everyone would pile in but seemed that no matter how many came, there was alway just enough food.
When we were about 7 & 8 my youngest brother and I spent a week with her and took our crayons and books with us. Well at 70 something, she had never seen a coloring book. We just couldn't believe it. So after we talked her into coloring in our books, she became addicted to coloring. Papa and Mom and Aunt Grace laughed at her and she was going to quit but we talked her into doing it when she was by herself. Mike and I sold coke bottles and bought her her own coloring book and crayons. She told us that she knew it was silly to like coloring at her age but she just loved to see what it looked like when you put all the pretty colors together. And she was really good at it and her pictures were always beautiful. I would give anything to have one of those coloring books today. Grandma felt free to talk to Mike and me when we stayed with her. We knew things about her that no one else knew. I loved and respected my Grandma.
By my teenage years, Grandma couldn't get around very well. She had a bad heart and couldn't breathe very well. When I visited, her house would be dirty and when I asked her about it, she would tell me that she didn't like a dirty house but she just didn't have the energy to clean it. Well you know how teenagers are; think they know everything. So I am thinking, YEAH RIGHT!, you're just too lazy. So I would clean it for her. Now here I am, not even as old as my Grandma was, and my kids are telling me the same thing. And I in return am telling them I just don't have the energy. And Brittany feels bad for me and cleans it up. Funny how things seem to come back to haunt you, isn't it.
When I think of Grandma now, I think of a lady who never finished grammar shcool but had the wisdom of King Solomon and a heart that may not have worked too well, but was filled with enough love to make everyone she touched feel as if they were the most important person in the world.
Although I can never be my Grandma, I hope that when my grandkids remember me, they can look back and have just half the respect and love that I have for my Grandma. And I pray that something I have said will let them know that they are that special also. Until next time...
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5 comments:
How wonderful that you have such vivid and loving memories of your grandma! I think that having those memories connects us with each person before us. Kind of a tapestry. She continues to be an influence on you and you are that to your grandchildren. The best part of our memories are that anywhere anytime we can close our eyes, sit right next to the ones we love, and feel all the love just like no time passed. Your grandma must have been some special lady because you have those qualities as well!! Blessings, Dawn
What lovely memories you have of your Grandma, Yorkie. Those are so special, nothing can take them from you, they are real and a part of you. For the past couple years we have grown to know each other pretty well and I know that your children and grandchildren will have very similar memories of you. I suppose that is what it is all about, leaving a loving legacy to our families to be passed down in generations. As your Grandma has left a footprint in your heart, so have you in your grandchildren, and I'm certain the same will be instilled in generations to come. Family....that's what it all comes down to. Cherish your memories, your Grandma was a very special lady and I know that she is looking down on you and smiling. ♥
Thank you ladies. I needed that. Hugs, Valerie
Valerie,
I have to say this brought tears to my eyes. I have too have been thinking of my grandmother for the past few weeks, ever since my family came for a visit. My mom brought me a box of my grandmothers items. I could not even open the box until everyone had left or went to bed. I just sat on the floor with tears running down my face unwrapping all the items. The biggest surpise was my mom put in my grandfathers wall thermoniter he had in his den. What a box of treasured gifts. I too hope that my grandchildren - when they come along -no grandchildren yet- will have the same feelings as I have for my grandmother and grandfather. I am sure that you grandchildren will treasure you as you treasured her!! You are a special lady! Blessings Vicky
What was I thinking even reading this tonight...on the eve of your "vacation" (lol). As I read the first paragraph, it made me think of you. In so many ways, you are your grandmother, and you should be proud of that. You are the place your grandchildren, and even those who are not, come to for Sunday dinner, and for every other need they might have in-between. I often think (normally to myself of course), that even though you are weak in body now, you are the strongest person I have ever known. See, I often say my greatest fear would be to have the physical difficulties you have, because God did not make me as strong as you, maybe because I've always had you to lean on, so I never had to be the strong one. I remember my grandmother as well...different kind of memories, but still special and with the same respect all the same. I miss pay-day, when I would clean her car, and she would pay me $10 (that was a big deal back in those days), but I think for the both of us, it was more about just hanging around each other, and spending time together. We would then go to eat...Famous Recipe Chicken was our favorite place to go. She wasn't much of a cook, as neither am I. Guess I took after my grandmother as well! :) As family traditions go, Sarah will take after her grandmother, and she needs you in her coming teenage years and beyond, so that she can gain from you, what you gained from your grandmother. It never really hit me until this exact moment, just how much we take from our grandmothers. We love our mothers, and they hold a very special place in our hearts, but we tend to somehow bond, and hold with us in character, those things which we have shared with our grandmothers...both being equally special! Love you mom, and I already see Sarah admiring you with the same respect, and preparing, even now, for when the time comes for her to carry on you legacy...:)
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