Tuesday, January 21, 2014

My Grandma


I was very blessed to have the best grandmother in the entire world.  I'm not just saying that either, because she really was.  I miss her terribly although, I can still hear her laugh, see her smile and remember her quirky little sayings.  Sometimes I even catch myself saying them and it makes me smile.

According to her we were best friends from the day I was born and I believe her.  I could tell her anything, and I did.  She never criticized or judged me.  She didn’t always agree with me but she respected my right to make my own choices.  I really appreciated that so much.  She was the keeper of all my secrets and the first person I'd call when something wonderful, or awful, happened.  She was always so supportive and proud of me and my accomplishments.

We had a lot of fun together.  We would sit and laugh for hours at her kitchen table and eat candy.  Talk about our friends and our family, but mostly we just talked nonsense.  She gave me a lot of good advice but never told me what to do.  I learned so much from her.  I have no doubt in my mind that it is her influence that has made me the parent I am today.

We talked on the phone every Sunday afternoon, except on the day when our respective football teams would play.  We agreed that was best.  I even got her hooked on NASCAR.

In the last seven years of her life I made the eight hour drive to her home to visit her every eight weeks like clockwork.  I spent every Thanksgiving with her and several Christmases and birthdays.  I helped her clean her house and cook meals.  We ate like pigs when I was there.  We'd always go shopping, visit relatives and sometimes we'd go out to lunch.  My goodness we had a good time.

In December of 1999 she suffered a stroke and a few days later she died in the early morning hours on Christmas Day.  Christmas was her most favorite holiday of all so it was only fitting, I think, that she went to heaven on that day.  I know she is with my grandpa and holds my son in her arms until I get there to hold him myself.

I wish she could have met my daughters because I know she would have loved them dearly.  They would have tickled and delighted her to no end.  But I know she knows about them because I can often feel her presence and I know she is close by and watches over me.


She was one incredible lady.

4 comments:

  1. Your grandma sounds like she was a wonderful lady. I never had a close relationship with either of my grandmothers. My father was in the Army, so we always lived a few provinces away from them. I would have loved to have been closer to them.

    I am glad my children live near both their grandmothers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grandparents can be very special. I was truly blessed to have wonderful grandparents.

      Delete
  2. I was also very close to my grandma. I lived with her a couple times when I was growing. She passed on her love for word games and reading to me. She's been gone for 7 years and I miss her more as time goes by. I didn't know you had lost a son. May God bless you and keep you as you remember your loved ones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh thank you. I know how you feel, I miss my grandma every day. No matter how long they've been gone you always carry them in your heart and fondly remember all those wonderful times together. My son, my oldest child, would have turned 28 last month. Hard to believe I'm old enough to have a child be that old with me being so young and all. :)

      Delete

Your kind comments are always appreciated. I love hearing from you.

**Note: Comment Moderation has been turned on due to spam.