For the love of Grandma

Someone I know became a grandparent two weeks ago. Finally! She and her husband had been waiting for the day to come when their only child would have a child of her own and they would become beloved grandparents. I couldn't be happier for them! Yes, I love babies too! But this post is not about babies. It is about grandparents.

It was just a few weeks ago that I was thinking of my own grandparents. I have three who are no longer living, and one who is. I am one of the lucky ones - one of the lucky grandchildren who was provided opportunities to get to know and spend time with my grandparents as I was growing up. They didn't live close by and I didn't spend inordinate amounts of time with them, but the time that we spent together will forever be a part of my life. Even at forty-six years old, I miss my Papa and Grandmother & Grandad terribly. It's been years since they passed away but some days I find myself missing them to the point of tears. I love my Grandma and wish she lived closer. She is an inspiration to me - feisty even as she faces the sunset years of her life.

You see, a grandparent can be a very special person in a child's life. A grandparent's love is unique and precious. The wisdom and guidance that a grandparent can offer doesn't have to come from formal education, traveling the world, or socializing with the elite. My grandparents had little education, never traveled out of the country or very far from home, and lived what most people would consider a simple life.

I have always loved my grandparents, but never fully appreciated them until I became an adult. As an adult I began to understand the loving concern that my Grandmother had for me when she slipped little envelopes containing 'Dear Abby' columns about sex and relationships into my coat pocket. I began to understand the incredible work ethic that my Papa and Grandad had; working themselves to the point of exhaustion day after day in order to provide for their household. I began to understand that being Grandma didn't have to mean rocking in a chair and knitting. It could mean jumping on a trampoline and hanging from the monkey bars!

We are coming into the holiday season and I always have my grandparents in my mind and close to my heart at this time of year. Joy is having grandparents to love and to be loved by. Joy is having beautiful memories of grandparents whose lives help to shape your own. Hug your grandparent, call your grandparent, cherish the memories of your grandparent. Someday you might just have the honor of being a grandparent yourself! Be still my heart!