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I loved my grandmother’s. When my grandmother passed away in early 1992 at the age of 77, I spoke at her funeral and could not contain the tears and flooded the podium with my sorrow. She was a huge positive force in my life. Everybody should be so lucky to have at least one loving and supportive grandparent. Everybody should experience unconditional love. I did not need to give anything in return. “Being her grandchild” made her happy. A spiritual connection like no other is when two individuals can be in a room together and they connect on a higher plane without words or action. That was our relationship.
I grew up in the 1970s before Facebook, Twitter, iPads, and iPhones. The toys I had at grandma’s were simple. I had household items – wooden spoons and kitchen pans. I had clothing items – my grandmother’s snow boots. I had books and a huge stack of National Geographics. I had cardboard boxes that I hid in. I had Lawrence Welk records and the Lawrence Welk show. I had the outdoors – all the beautiful flowers and endless nature walks. I had many feral cats that I tried to catch – and never caught.
I love having grown up in the 1970s. I had a lot of time to develop my creativity. Today, I appreciate a lot of things that cost nothing.
My grandmother always gave me her undivided attention. She made me ham and cheese sandwiches with oatmeal bread and cut them in 4 quarters because I asked her to do that. She gave me homemade cookies for dessert, but not too many. She took me for walks in the woods and educated me on flowers, birds and trees. She loved the outdoors. She would say as we walked, “This is the compost pile,” “This is a lady slipper.”
She had bird feeders on her property and fed the birds. I got to pick fresh raspberries and blackberries using a metal pail like the girls on “Little House on the Prairie.” She taught me the alphabet and her passion for reading. I spent time with her at the Big Bunny (grocery store), the laundromat, and at church counting the collections. She gave me my first accounting and volunteer experience. She knew the importance of giving back to the community. She was never selfish with her time and put people over achievement and acquiring things. She was a rich human being in how she always had a smile on her face and laugh in her belly. She took the worse of events with the best spirit and never let them get her down.
If I could sum up my Grandma in one word it would be: Grace. She had such a beautiful spirit. She never complained. She always worked hard. She had a warm heart and always had love to give. She never raised her voice. She was serene and peaceful. She was remarkable and lovely.
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May 28, 2011
