I talk with my children a lot about their Gran, my Grandmother whom I never imagined I would miss and think about as often as I do. Her name seems to come up every time I talk about my childhood or see a raspberry or make mashed potatoes. I even watched an episode of Murder She Wrote the other day while I did some sewing. It was her favorite TV show. Hearing the theme song brought a somewhat mournful smile to my face.
Tonight when I went to lay down with Georgie after I got home from the gym she asked me to tell her a story from when I was a little girl. I told her about the time I went to Utah on a plane with my cousin Aly...no mommies to hold our hands. I told her about how I visited my Gran and played barefoot on her soft green lawn (I'm not trying to sound sentimental here, they had the best grass!!)and picked raspberries and cherries in her back yard. I told her about how she bought me the silky blue nightgown that Georgie wears obsessively now despite the fact that its 2 feet too long for her. On Sunday I gave her a necklace that had been my Grans, a dainty gold one with a tiny key dangling from it. Mid story Georgie began asking me questions about Gran. "Where did Gran get that night gown?" "Where did Gran get this necklace?" It seemed to me that in that moment my Gran became a person to Georgie. And for some reason tears welled up in my eyes and I smiled. It struck me that my Gran was living on in us. I have always known, to some inadequate extent how much a Grandparent means to a child but I never considered, as a child, what they mean to adults...what great lessons and stories they provide for us as parents. It was a short trip from that line of thought to my own parents who are so much a part of everything that I am. I'm so grateful that my children have them. I'm so glad that when Isaac is sad that he has Gaga to call. That when they grow up and tell their children stories they'll be able to tell them how Papa dressed up in a costume every year for their birthdays. How they drove an off roading vehicle with PopPop at Christmas time and swam many miles in Mimi's swimming pool. We're writing each others stories every day and sadly, most of the time we don't even realize it. It takes moments like this one with G to put it all in perspective. As I think about my Gran I wonder if she knew, before she left us, what a big part of my story that she was. I wonder if she knew that she would live on in us. I doubt I ever told her, past the age of 12, because I didn't even know it myself. I think it goes to show, that yes, undoubtedly we need to express our love for the people in our lives. But more than that is that all of this goes with out saying. It just is. Good Grandparents are part of who we are. They are the cozy blanket, the worlds best snuggle, the best present on Christmas Morning, the back scratch and the softest hands you've ever held. They will always be the smile that arises on the face of a 4, 30 or 85 year old. They transcend generations! So for all the thanks you don't get Gaga, Papa, Poppop and Mimi, know it from your own experience. You are the world to them, to us and to the generations to come.
