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Our great-grandparents were born in April. Their birthdays were within days of each other. In honor of their birthdays - and their birthday month - here are 10 ways they showed us love:
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1. THEY READ TO US:
Honestly, I don't have memory of this, and that's why pictures like this one are so priceless. Because I don't remember ever not knowing how to read, and I have no memories of being read to before I knew how to read myself. But clearly, it happened:
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| [Image: Great-grandma, center, reads to Tara, left, and Tonia, right, age 2] |
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2. ADAPTED THINGS FOR US:
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3. TAUGHT US:
To this day, I remember being around six years old, and - on my own - writing numbers up to 100. I was so proud, I showed my great-grandma. She gently showed me my mistake.
I'd written every number after 20, 30, 40, etc. as 201, 202 etc. not realizing I had to drop the zero.
She taught me to print the letters p and q and never made me feel silly for not knowing something.
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4. FED US REALLY WELL:
We always at really well at great grandma and grandpa's house. Homemade chicken noodle (or beef noodle) soup. Turkey salami. Raspberry dessert. Pudding pops. Fresh carrots or beans from Grandpa's garden.
They let us get string cheese from the grocery store. I still remember helping Grandma bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, though I'm pretty sure that only happened one time.
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5. BUILT US A SNOWMAN:
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6. PLAYED WITH US:
Every night, whether we were living with them, or just visiting, we'd join them at the table each evening for a game. When we were younger, it was Farkle or Dominoes.
But from about six years old on? We played Skip-Bo - all four of us. Grandma and Grandpa against Tara and I. We were always linking pinkies over the cards and doing made-up spells for luck. Grandpa, would pretend to zap us playfully and say: "No hexes!"
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7. SEWED FOR US:
Grandma was a pro at fixing our Cabbage Patch dolls (who we loved so hard their fingers and toes unraveled.)
She sewed Velcro pockets for my walker, so I could carry things with me, and adapted our jeans with Velcro instead of snaps, so we could be independent in the bathroom.
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8. REMEMBERED THINGS WE SAID:
Long after I'd forgotten, Grandpa continued to tell this joke about a little girl who saw her bus driver's feet and said: "You're socks are all wrinkled!"
The bus driver said back: "I don't have any socks on!"
I thought this was probably a joke he made up, and was surprised when he told me, "You told us that joke. You came home from school and you told us, and you laughed and laughed."
9. BOUGHT US A COCONUT:
One of my favorite memories with my great grandparents was going grocery shopping with them. On a certain trip in particular, we passed the coconuts.
Tara and I (again, at around 6 years old and fans of Sesame Street) had heard there was milk inside and we wanted to try it. Grandma agreed to buy it.
Later, at home, Grandpa broke it open with a hammer. We were super impressed. Until a clear juice came out...and it did not taste like cow's milk at all.
But they let us be curious. They let us try things.
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10. SHARED MEMORIES OF THEIR CHILDHOOD:
We were visiting as teenagers, when Grandpa very casually told us that he could still remember the lines he was given in his kindergarten school play. He was 5 years old in 1919, and very nervous, as he stood in front of a room full of adults and had to say the words:
As I stand up on this stage
My heart goes piddy-pat
As I watch the people wonder:
"Whose little boy is that?"
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I was lucky to have known my grandma from my mom’s side who passed away when I was 7. I enjoyed my summer visits with her. Grandparents - and even great grandparents if you are lucky - make childhood so interesting and memorable.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! Glad you were able to get to know your grandparents.
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