On Grandma's 100th Birthday ...
January 14, 2014
Do you ever wish there were visiting hours in heaven?
Longtime readers of my blog will know how very close I was to my maternal grandmother ... "Gram" or "Damee" (as my boys called her) would have been 100 years old today! She passed away several years ago, but I miss her so much, and especially so at this time of year, when we would share our "January birthdays" celebration.
My brother Matt and I with Gram - I think I was maybe 12 or 13?
If you'll indulge me, I'd like to share some of the things I remember best about my grandmother. She was a huge part of my life, every step of the way ...
We read Anne of Green Gables together.
We shared a Victoria magazine subscription for years.
(How she would have loved Downton Abbey!)
We enjoyed a beautiful dollhouse together for years - first mine and then later, hers.
In the summers she took us to Concord & Lexington where we immersed ourselves in the local history: the Orchard House and the Revolutionary War.
We'd visit family and friends up in Maine - often returning with delicious lobster (her lobster stew was THE best) ...
From the time I was a little girl, she'd take me with her to her weekly "hairdresser appointment" and what fun I'd have there ...
Grama and Grampa traveled a lot and on every return trip they had a doll for me, one that reflected the country's culture ...
She grew up one of the older children in a large Irish Catholic family ... and she loved to share stories. I loved to hear her talk about her family members, their home, and her life stories ... long afternoons sitting in her den, sharing tea and conversation.
When we'd go out to dinner she always let me have the cherry from her "amaretto sour." ;)
It was Grandma who took me out for my driving lessons ...
She taught me about making lists (she was the most organized person I've ever known) and about staying on top of household chores ...
She was the BEST homekeeper you can imagine ... her home was neat and clean but always so welcoming.
She was always on top of the current news and very politically minded (and opinionated!). She read a couple of newspapers every day - checking off articles to return to ...
Her pantry at the foot of the stairs was filled with everything you could imagine, all organized and well maintained.
She was thrifty (living through the Depression taught her that) but knew the value of quality ... no "mongrel" brands for her family! She and my grandpa were also the most generous people you'd ever know ...
She was the one who broke the truth to me about Santa ... she was that kind of confidante, a dear friend as well as a grandmother ...
*❤*
All of these things make up my memories of my grandmother, and it's fun to reflect ... but sometimes I get sad too, because I wish I could go back and just have a little more time with her ... how I'd love for her to know Little Bear.
But when I look in the eyes of my children, and as I look around my home, at how I live my life now ... I know her love lives on in me. As I carry on being the best mother and wife I can be, giving all I can for my family - in this way I keep her alive in my heart.
Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday, my friends ... I'll see you here again very soon!