My Blessed Grandmother
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Posted by Maryan Pelland Jun 17, 2006 |
My grandmother, as I knew her, was a beautiful woman. She was, in my lifetime, always old, but in that old-fashioned way that Grandma's don't do anymore. She actually had silver hair, little gold-wire glasses (real gold, she had them forever - I have them now) and never wore anything but her corset, stockings, black oxfords and a dress with obligatory tiny flowers sprigged over it. Gram simply would never have gone out without a dressy little hat, let alone have ever even considered trousers. When I was very young I spent much of my time with her. She taught me to cook and to use a needle and threads like an artist uses her brush. I loved her unreservedly, and she me. She died at ninety-seven years old. Grandma told me one day, when I asked her why she always had her little well-worn prayer book in her pocket, "Sweetie, I've lived a long time. Life is hard. We're tempted to complain and moan about what the Good Lord hands us to deal with. People lie and fight, rant and rave till they make each other sick. I decided a long time ago to be calm. My book helps me feel close to God, but even better, when I sink into it and turn off my ear, I can really be all by myself. It does for my mind what sleeping does for my body. It kind of heals and clears out all the mess. Then I can just go about my business and not bother about all the garbage."
I never heard my grandmother raise her voice to anyone. She never needed a pill or a shrink or a cocktail..."Well, maybe just a little drop of blackberry brandy, Sweetie."
Memories of her - her violet scent, her soft voice, her slow-but-purposeful step, colored my life in shades of love, safety and serenity. Her way of being a grandma will tint the life I weave with my own grandbabies.
Take a look at my article Grandparents Make Memories about gifting our grandchildren in today's hectic world.
Here are some really good books to explore in a similar vein.
Always Have Popsicles by Rebecca Harvin (Paperback - Jan 1994)
Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren by Sue Johnson (Paperback - Feb 2003)
41 Uses for a Grandma by H. Zeifert (hard bound - 2005)
40 Uses for a Grandpa by Amanda Haley, H. Zeifert and Harriet Zeifert (Hard cover April 2001)
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