Wednesday, September 05, 2007

What Happens At Grandma's Stays At Grandma's

I don't think there is anything more comforting than being with a grandmother and mine is no exception :o) My Gram is exactly what you picture when you think of a grandmother. She's a very independent, strong and proud woman but she's also kind, loving and she has a heart of gold. I consider her my best friend and someone I can turn to when I need help or a shoulder to cry on. It's been that way for as long as I can remember.

Gram has been on her own since 1980. That's the year my grandfather passed away :o( She never remarried. In a selfish way, I'm glad she didn't. Whether she regretted it or not, I doubt I will ever know. Last year I hit the mother load when I learned about a drawer full of my grandfather's old diaries! No one had read them up until that point so I was more than happy to investigate. The diaries go way back but I decided to start with 1970, the year I was conceived :o)

I really wasn't prepared for what I was about to read. Here I was looking into someone's personal life, someone I can just remember. It enabled me to get to know a grandfather that was only in the first nine years of my life. It also enabled me to get to know that man before he had his stroke. I never knew my grandfather had such a sense of humor :o) It also showed me the love he had for my grandmother. I think he was completely smitten from day one ;o)

The passages that were written about me opened my eyes to what my childhood was like. It brought me back to those summers that I stayed with my grandparents at the old house in McKee's Mills. The mornings I would wake up early and crawl into bed with my Gram :o) I can still feel the comfort when I think about those times. Apparently I come by my sense of humor and love for sweets from my grandfather. This is what he wrote on February 7, 1976 - "Up at 9 am and was met by Cathey who wanted a chocolate bar but she was easily settled with numerous requests until after lunch time. When I went looking for a knife to cup up a Mars bar, Cathey quickly informed me she could break the bar in two and a knife was not needed."

I'm now reading his 1978 diary and I'm getting close to the end. I've been putting it off because it's hard to read about someone's life and know they are dying. The signs were early on but whether my grandfather knew what was going on, I don't know because he never wrote anything about it.

This past Saturday, DH and I went to visit Gram and her huge smile was there to great us as always :o) I love her hugs and she even smells like a grandmother, if that's even possible. LOL! We brought her a photo album full of a hundred of my photographs for her to enjoy. Gram doesn't get out very much anymore so it felt good to be able to bring something to share with her. Along with my parents, we took her out to eat and had one gut stuffing meal!

While we were in the city, I dropped by the LNS and was "a tad" bit naughty ;o) I picked up two patterns and one is thanks (NOT!) to a fellow Blogger -

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

All in all, it was another good visit with Gram although I always hate leaving :o( At least I know I can always pick up the phone and she'll be there :o)

8 comments:

Karen said...

I love the winter silhoutte.
I used to spend every weekend with my gran when we were younger, we used to make tents with sheets and sofa's , play shops with everything in the kitchen lol those were the days

Alberta said...

Cathey, what special memories you have of your grandparents. I lost all my grandparents early, my mother 8 years ago, and Dad's memory to Alzheimer's these past 7 years. But I found some cards and letters that we had exchanged over the years. It comforts me knowing that my parents valued them enough to save them. Thanks for allowing me to peak into your loving family's past!

Shannon said...

Ah, you brought tears to my eyes :) My grandma and I had that kind of relationship. I miss her every day. It's nice to hear other people are blessed in the same way.

So, can you still break a Mars bar in half. (or like me do you now think "what's the point ?" and eat the whole thing ? LOL)

Love the new stash :)

Faith Ann said...

Now I'm missing my gram even more than usual! You're very fortunate that you are still able to see yours.

It's so nice that you have those journals to allow you to get to know your grandfather better.

Jenn said...

How very sweet Cathey. Thanks for shareing this with us. I love your new stash. My grandad died when I was about to turn 8 (1978) and I wish I had something like this of his.

Lori said...

My Gram is still around 80+, but her health is getting more fragile.
I've had more than my fair share of grams...some adopted by us. So nice to read your story, thanks.

Gotta go to the store for chocolate bar now...grrr. ;)

Anonymous said...

Great memories of your time with your grandparents when you were younger.

Spring Ride? NOTHING to do with me *snigger* Weeell, you'll enjoy it :o)

Re the Mars Bars. They're too small these days to even think about breaking into two. I'm sure that they've shrunk and it's not just because I'm older.

Rachel S-H said...

What a treasure you have in those diaries