Tuesday
by GinafishIt’s Tuesday. The last day of July. My last living grandparent turned 85 yesterday. My kids are so lucky to have both sets grandparents close by. When I was little, although they lived in the same state, it was a 2 hour drive so we didn’t visit as often as I would have liked to have.
Another reason my kids are lucky is because I get along with my in-laws and my husband gets along with his. Yes, there are things we disagree on as far as religion, politics, and other issues, but we all understand it boils down to family is more important than any one person, so stick together.
My parents and in-laws are lucky because at this age, my kids really enjoy going to see them. Kids grow up quickly and start to distance themselves from all known adults as they try to find their way in the world. If my parents and in-laws are even luckier, they’ll all still be alive when the grandkids decide they want to come back to the roost and sit a spell and really learn about who they are and what life was like as they grew up.
I love my Grandma, and I love hearing her talk. Most of the time, she talks about things that only interest her, or relates a story about something that happened in the 70s with people that I’ve never met. But now that I’m older, I see more of her personality. I see how sly she is when she says maybe she would like to smoke, if only she had cigarettes. I see the difference in her forced laugh and her truly joyous one. I see how easily she gets tired and wants to retreat, and I understand that feeling more and more as I get older. I see how my mother is like her, how my aunts and uncle are like her, and also, how they aren’t. How they are like my Grandpa who I never got to know as an adult.
If you are lucky, you get to see your Grandparents as the biggest thrill when you are young, and again as real people when you are older. I’m so glad my kids gets lots of time with their Grandparents right now, who knows when it will end, and when it will begin again.
