Grandparents

Now that I'm reconnecting with many of my former classmates via Facebook, I'm finding one common thread. Most of us like to talk about our grandchildren. Before I joined this most elite group I had been told by friends who had already attained this status that I was in for the time of my life. Boy, were they ever right on! Are you aware that there is so much emphasis on grandparents nowadays that they've even created the holiday "Grandparent's Day" to celebrate this most elite group of people? Okay, let's get real.....we know it was a ploy of Hallmark to sell more cards, but now that I am one....I'm going to celebrate it!

I can't help but think of my own grandparents and what wonderful memories I have of the time I got to spend with them. I remember as a child how I dreaded going to visit my daddy's parents who lived "way out in the country." We had to travel over those rickety old bridges that looked as though they were going to cave in the minute your vehicle crossed over that first board. Once we were there, I started looking forward to lunch or dinner as they called the noon meal. Since the men got to eat first, then the women, and finally the children, you were lucky if you got one of the homemade biscuits. Even cold, they were worth the wait. I've never quite understood why the men ate first even though I was told it had something to do with the fact that they had to work out in the tobacco field. Can you imagine these days making the children wait 'til everyone else had finished? I learned to love vegetables there, but who wouldn't? They put sugar in the beans, etc. It was like eating candy. Now, could it be that somehow that had something to do with the fact that my daddy's entire family was not only obese, but all of them developed diabetes and heart disease?

Another novelty for me on those trips was drinking well water from a dipper. Of course, at that age I didn't think about all the germs we were sharing. I do recall not drinking too much because that would certainly mean a trip to the outhouse, and being a city girl that was not something I enjoyed. I not only learned very early in life that the Sears catalog had other purposes than just an order book, but also that wasps like to make their nests right under the seat....OUCH!!!

My "Granny," with whom I share some physical features, lived with my aunt in the city so I got to see her a little more often. I remember watching her read her Bible with a magnifying glass because her eyesight was so poor. Granny was one of those people that if you knew her, you loved her.

I suppose most all of us have unique recollections of our grandparents, but now we're the ones living the stories that our grandchildren will tell someday. I'm thankful for the time I get to spend with my grandchildren, Luke and Lauren. Someday Lauren will tell her children about singing songs with Nana, Pop pulling her up the street in the wagon, hours of making things out of play dough, even more hours playing school, and all those books we read and movies we watched at bedtime when she would spend the night. Luke will have his own memories of countless puzzles, building things out of Lincoln logs, playing ball outside, and winning at air hockey. And yes, he'd better win. He has the most competitive nature; where do you suppose he got that? Hmmm....I'm not telling.

Although I find it most difficult to put into words what being a grandparent is like, I feel privileged to have that title. So, when the first Sunday after Labor Day rolls around and Hallmark reminds us that it's Grandparent's Day, I'll not only be remembering my grandparents, but I'll also be celebrating the fact that I am so blessed to be one.