Grandparents

I attended a Christmas Party the other night. Somehow in the midst of carol singing and eating delicious snack foods, the subject turned to Grandparenting. One of the ladies mentioned that her granddaughter had threatened to run away. It brought back many memories...

Growing up, I had the good fortune of having my grandparents live just a few blocks away. My idea of "running away" was to show up at their house. Grandpa was always watching whatever Game Show was on at the time, or working on some old car in the garage. He'd give me one of his big bear hugs like only a Grandpa can give, and ask who I was mad at. Grandma was almost always cooking or baking something. I would hang out for a while and they would help me forget whatever the problem was. I remember many times of being there when they were snapping beans or canning something from their garden. They had a player piano that I would tinker with, or sometimes we would just sit and listen to Big Band music. I loved spending time with them.

We lost Grandpa almost 20 years ago, and Grandma 2 years ago. There house now belongs to someone else. I am dealing with some personal issues and sure wish I could still runaway to their home. I try to close my eyes and remember Grandpa's hugs and hear his strong voice reminding me not to let things get to me.

I think I got my love of "golden oldies" from them, but I sure wish I'd paid more attention to their gardening skills.