As most of you (probably don't) know, today is Grandparent's Day! So today's post will be inspired by all those people who were able to raise their children to an age where they could (and did) reproduce.
I was lucky enough to grow up with 4 grandparents, and three great grandparents. A special shout out to my one great-grandma who is now into her 90s and is still going strong (I hope I get some of those genes!). My Grandma and Grandpa M (Granny and Gramps as they would become known) lived on the farm with us, so we got to see them daily (whether they liked it or not... haha), and my Grandma and Grandpa B lived 15 min away, so while we didn't see them daily, we saw them pretty often as well. Needless to say, I was very close with them all!
What I find so fascinating about grandparents, is that they are people with very interesting, very unique lives and prior to becoming grandparents they were children and teenagers and parents themselves.
Wild, I know!
As a child, and even more so as an adult, I would marvel at the little snippets of life, love and loss that were unearthed about these mysterious, yet completly familiar individuals. Sometimes, I would try to place myself there, to live inside their stories, to understand how the family tree arrived at my leaf. I would try to walk alongside that nervous 10 year old girl, having left the only life she's ever known in Poland, en route to a family she's never met, surrounded by a language she doesn't understand. "Your name is Jane now, not Johanna". Or I would stand tall behind that brave 15 year old boy who, after having lost his own father at 5, would stand up to the man who terrorized the better part of his childhood. I would laugh with the young woman who, after a few adult beverages, would think it hilarious to pull a pair of pantyhose over her head (I'm definitely cut from the same cloth). Or I would beam with pride at the young man who, after finding the woman of his dreams, would love her 3 young girls as if they were his own without a second thought.
It seems so wild that the paths of these four people would cross and that their branches would converge at me (and my sisters of course). Earlier today, while examining my three grey hairs in the mirror, I couldn't help but notice my grandparents looking back at me. The way my nose turns up at the end, or how my forehead wrinkes when I think too hard (thankfully that doesn't happen too often), or my hair that can never decide whether it wants to be curly or straight (so it usually picks an awkward frizzy state, thanks grandma), or my blue eye/brown hair combo (I've been told this is exotic... I'll take it). Having lost 3 of my 4 grandparents before the rise of instagram and 24/7 access to cameras, these fleeting moments are particularly special, since I can't flip through 4235 selfies of us on my computer (Granny, we really need to take more selfies together).
Now, with the birth of K, D and I have made 4 new grandparents, 5 great-grandparents and 1 great-great-grandma! At 1 1/2, it's already obvious how much he loves them (and has them wrapped around his little toddler finger) and they, him. I know that through the years, like every other grandparent in history, they will share little bits of themselves with K, that will transcend their shared DNA. These moments and memories filled with cookies (and spinach), and hugs and stories from the past, will live on in K and hopefully be there to comfort, console and encourage him on his journey through this crazy ride called life!
I encourage you all to let your grandparents know how much you love them (today and everyday). Happy Grandparent's Day everyone!
Until next time my friends,
-A
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| Granny and 2 of her 6 great-grandbabies |
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