As promised in my last blog post…a long, long time ago I decided what better time to talk about my Grandma Mary than the night before Thanksgiving when I am pondering all the things I am thankful for.
For those of you wondering what in the world I’m referring to, I mentioned a while back that it’s sad we don’t spend more time talking about why we love people, and fun memories of them all the time, instead of just at funerals. When I was thinking of all of my happy memories of my Grandpa Jack I found myself thinking of so many fun “Grandma Mary” memories, so I figured I would share them on here.
Growing up, Grandma Mary was the epitome of everything you would desire in a grandma. You could always count on marshmallows in your hot chocolate, a cozy warm bed, with fresh smelling sheets, an afghan while watching your favorite TV show, a home-cooked meal complete with dessert, and plenty of hugs and kisses. There was never a shortage of love at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and it was a place we could go and feel special, and cared for.
One of the coolest things Grandma would do for my brother and I was let us go “fishing” down her laundry chute. We didn’t have a laundry chute in our house, but Grandma and Grandpa did, so it was quite the novelty. Their laundry chute went from their first floor, into their basement, where Grandma also stored her extra canned goods. She would give us some long string, and Steven and I would take turns sending it down the chute into the basement where Grandma would surprise us with green beans, or corn. Never were canned vegetables so exciting! I think we ended up carrying it all back into the basement when we were done, but fishing down the laundry chute was a special activity we got to do with Grandma!
One of the many “grandmotherly” things Grandma did was knit. I can’t even count the number of home-made gifts Grandma made just for me. Not only did I get all sorts of special, knit gifts from Grandma, she also was the one who taught me how to knit. She patiently taught me the basics while I did my best to knit a washcloth. I believe it was the saddest, most pathetic looking washcloth ever made, but it laid the foundation so one day I could pick it back up and even knit my own children a few hats, and blankets. Even as an adult Grandma has continued to gift us with her lovingly, made creations. David and I each have our own afghan, my kids received baby booties, sweaters, blankets, and most recently Madeline got her very own sweater, in her favorite color…Pink of course!
Not only did Grandma knit, she also painted. I remember all sorts of beautiful pictures she painted for our family. What I always thought was the coolest, was that she taught me how to paint. She would come up with craft projects for me to work on, and I always felt so proud of myself after having her help me paint whatever project she had come up with for me. She painted some Easter baskets for my brother and I that were made out of wood and looked like bunnies. We still have those baskets, and my mom has been known to still put goodies in them for us for Easter!
Up until I was 13 we lived just minutes from Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Whenever Grandma heard that I was home sick from school I could count on her stopping over with some chicken noodle soup for me. She always made sure that we were more than cared for when we weren’t feeling well.
Even after we moved further away, I was still always able to count on Grandma being at every birthday party, holiday gathering, or any other special occasion. She’s always made family a priority and loves to be a part of our special days. In fact, if a get-together is scheduled to start at, say, 2:00, we start to worry at 1:55 when Grandma hasn’t arrived yet. You see, we can always count on Grandma to arrive bright and early for any gathering and if the set-time arrives and she’s not there we start to wonder where she must be!
When I moved even further away to go to college Grandma was still able to share her love even from a distance. She would send special cards and notes and would even surprise me with care packages! When the weather cooled a little, she was even known to send me some Wisconsin cheese curds! I went to school in Virginia, and no one there knew what a cheese curd was. I had the pleasure of introducing my dorm friends to the wonderful world of squeaky cheese thanks to Grandma!
I’m all grown up now, with a family of my own and my parents have now taken on the “grandparent” role but I’m thankful to say that Grandma Mary is still an active part of my life, and my kids’ lives. It’s been so much fun to have her at all of our family events, and she has taken on the role of Great Grandma without skipping a beat. So this Thanksgiving, among all of the many things I have to be thankful for, I am so very thankful for Grandma Mary and the ways she has been a part of my life growing up, and how she continues to be a part of my family’s life.
I love you Grandma, and hope you know just how special you are to me and everyone in our family!
S U P E R , Amy! What an inspiration your Grandma Mary is! And how precious the time you took to write your memories down.