Grandparents

I’ve been slowly going through folders full of accumulated articles and pictures. I have found that most of it, having been left untouched for years, doesn’t have much relevance today. Happily, I can recycle the majority and reclaim the ever so needed space in my file cabinet. During this long tedious process, I came across a yellowed newspaper clipping. It’s from an Erma Bombeck column that appeared regularly in many newspapers. Because of where I grew up, I know this particular clipping was taken from the Omaha World-Herald. Now, I should stop and tell you that my family, particularly my father, had given this newspaper the nickname Omaha “Weird” Herald. Clearly he didn’t care much for it, and as a child, having a knack for remembering all things odd and funny, that infamous nickname stuck in my head. Anyway, I could not for the life of me remember how this clipping came to be among all these papers. My Mother doesn’t recall ever having sent it to me, but given the title of the column, it wasn’t that difficult to conclude it came from my Grandma Georgia. I chuckle now because I am just sure she had herself a good laugh as she posted that letter to me, knowing its full contents. Grandma liked to impart her wisdom in many ways, some subtle, and some not so much. Although she most likely meant this article to be a reminder to me of times gone by, reading it today made it seem as though my childhood was just yesterday.

I have wonderful memories of times spent with my grandparents. I was lucky enough to live near them growing up, and that fact alone is one I would never change. However, there is one thing I can complain about though, Grandmas idea of an after school snack.  Sometimes she’d make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which was fine, except she almost always added…BUTTER! Bleh! Who does that??? Mom never made them that way, so you can imagine the horror an eight year old experiences when they get a mouthful of butter! Grandma eventually stopped adding the butter, but I always sneaked a peek before I took a bite.

Sadly, we lost Grandma this very day in 2008. She was 91. I remember my Mom calling to tell me she was gone. The sound of the sobs that cracked her voice will forever play in my head when I think of that morning. But the one thing that I will always, always remember about my Grandma, is the laugh she gave me each time I called and loudly exclaimed into the phone……”G R A N D M A!” Even when she was diagnosed with dementia, she always knew it was me on the other end.

So what is a grandparent?
I have recreated the clipping Grandma sent me so that I could share it with you.

Thank you Grandma for sending me this clipping. I have not forgotten you, I remember. There is one point however, that Erma didn’t put in her article, so I am saying it now.

– A grandparent leaves you with memories that last a lifetime.