Sitting here tonight, alone on what it a chilly and dark night that follows a day full of rain, drinking water, yes water and I am thinking about a conversation I had with my Grand Ma earlier. It was just a quick exchange about nothing important but it got me thinking. There will come a day where you will realize that one of your grandparents is somewhat of a smartass. After that you will start to remember growing up with them and recall some great things. That is what I did tonight, and it got me thinking about all of my grandparents.
I was lucky enough to have more than the standard 4
grandparents in my life, somehow I managed to meet end up with seven
grandparents and each of them was a character in their own way. I wanted to
take a moment to recognize them and just share some memories I have with them
and of them.
Grandpa T:
Of all of my grandparents this is the only one I never got
to know. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to; if anything he intrigues me the
most because he passed before I even existed. I remember this picture of him
sitting on this hutch in Grandma T’s place. He looked a great deal like my dad
but with longer hair in the picture. I never really get to hear stories about
him but from the few I have I get the impression that he was a hardworking man.
Honestly the most I have ever heard about him is that he once operated a gas
station and that back in those days you could only get gas on certain days
because it was regulated by the government during wartime and your license
plate determined which days you could pump. I imagine if my dad is anything
like his father then that must be where his dedication to prove comes from.
Grandma T:
I knew Grandma T for most of my childhood. She passed when I
was twenty if I recall correctly. She was always stern while I was growing up.
She wasn’t a fan of horseplay but she was still a caretaker. She would always
offer you something to drink and to help with anything you did when you were
over. I remember she always had a bowl of peanut M&M’s by her kitchen and
when the grandkids came over those things were like gold! We never really
thanked her for having those; I guess we just always expected them to be there.
I think her passing has really taken a toll on the family dynamic, we use to
gather at least 3 to 4 times a year back then and now it seems like we only
come together once a year and in fractured groups. I never really understood
her sternness when I was younger but now I look back and realize she was the
kind of woman who survived through some hard times and had to be a strong woman
to do so; especially with 7 kids.
Grandma K and Grandpa K:
These two amaze me constantly; there are few people in the
world who are as open and caring as these two. I honestly cannot say I have met
many people who have opened their home to complete strangers and treated them
like part of the family. These two embody that old married couple so well and
to see all of the friends and family they have made over the years is just
amazing. I would love to read a book written by these two of just everything
they have experienced to this day. It is a shame I have not got to be as close
to these two as my sisters have but I am happy to have them in my life as such
positive role models.
Grandpa V:
This is another grandparent I barely got to know but I did
for a bit whenever I saw him. My mother says I really don’t know him but
honestly I feel like I have a great deal of his genes in me. He always seemed
like the free-living, think outside of the box kind of guy and I pride myself on
being able to do that so well. I’m not sure how judgmental he was but I would
like to think my liberal views may stem some from him. He was a pack rat which
I can defiantly say has been a task for me to overcome in life, but eventually
you have to tell yourself that you don’t
need the token as long as you have the memory.
Grandma B:
This would be the grandparent I am the closes to and the one
who got me thinking about all of this. I said earlier, there will be a day when
you realize one of your grandparents is a smartass. I’m not saying she is a
direct and belligerent smartass, but she definitely has a way with words and
the ability to hold her own. I remember being younger and staying over at her
place every so often. We would always watch Nick-at-Night and eat slices of
cheese and apples while watching I Love Lucy. This may be where my love of
cheese comes from, thanks Granny; I’ll have horrible cholesterol forever now.
As I grew older I did what most people do, pulled away from family and thought
I knew everything about life. When I was 18-20, Grandma V, my mom, and I all
lived in a house and I started to grow closer to her again. Now that I am 26 I
can honestly say I have had some very odd and interesting conversations with
her about everything, life, love, and family. I gotta say that I wouldn’t trade
her for the world.
Grandpa B:
Grandpa B was a grandparent that I wish I had not been so
afraid of. When I was younger I remember him taking my cousin and I to Dairy
Queen and buying us ice cream while he caught up with his buddies. He was also
a stern type and a little set in his ways but all around he was good with me. I
wish I had got to know him better, when he passed I found his old briefcase
filled with cards from co-workers wishing him to get better soon and happy
birthdays. Some of the things I read in those cards made me wonder if I had
ever really knew the true Grand-dad-B. I always loved playing on his boat and
messing around in his vegetable garden. I often get the urge to garden myself
but never follow through because I have such a horrible green thumb. On my 26th
birthday I rented a boat and went out on Joe Pool Lake, for some reason the
open air on that lake and the trees all around it just felt right to me, I
wonder if playing on his boat as a kid made it all feel like second nature.
Some Sundays, he would fry catfish for dinner and honestly I haven’t had a
piece of fried catfish that good since.
Thinking about this makes me wonder if we take our time with
our loved ones for granted, and if we ever really stop to listen to our elders
and take in the knowledge of life that they have to offer. When you really stop
think about it, they have been through everything we have and made it through
alive, and hell they had to do it without cell-phones, facebook, and
prescription drugs for almost every ailment. Maybe we should sit down and
listen for a bit, take something in, and see if we don’t walk away with a new
life lesson. I invite any and all of you to write about your grandparents too
and to feel free to post it down on the comment box, or e-mail me, or even on
the facebook post.
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