When the Grandmothers come to visit there are at least three who show up on a regular basis. These are the wonderful woman of my family who shared with me their wisdom while they were alive and now that they have passed to the next life surround and support me with their unending love. The first of the Grandmothers is my great-grandmother, Grandma Lulu. The second of the trio is Grammy, my maternal grandmother.
I am the oldest of Grammy's grandchildren. I was born the day before my grandparent's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. My mother did not make to the party. My father showed up and evidently kept handing out cigars. It was the late fifties and that was the custom. I always referred to myself as their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary present.
Grammy was a strong, independent, very intelligent woman. If life had been different she would have made a fine doctor or lawyer. As it was, she was a very fine secretary. Now she would be called an administrative assistant. She organized and kept several executives at Dupont on track for the length of their careers. A business is only as good as its admin staff!
Grammy was fearless. There wasn't anything she wouldn't tackle. When I was fifteen I saw her wade into the middle of domestic dispute between the neighbours. The man's fists were flying, the woman was high and my grandmother sashayed right in and broke it up. I was having a heart attack from across the street. Granted, at the time, we were in the middle of rural South Carolina and at least twenty minutes from the police getting to us, but somebody (my grandmother) could have gotten hurt.
I would spend weeks with my grandparents without my siblings. We each had that opportunity. When I was there we would swim, cook, read, talk during the day when my grandfather was at work. Grammy retired first. In the evenings when he came home we would play cards after supper. We would drink Coke out of glasses filled with ice and have ice cream for a bedtime snack. It was hot down in July especially before air conditioning!
Grammy taught me about strength, grace and wisdom. She also taught me about how much I am loved. There are times when I need to be reminded of those lessons. It is then I go to my jewelry box and pull out her baby locket. It contains a lock of her hair and has teeth marks where she tried to chew it when she was young. My grandparents gave it to me for my high school graduation. It brings me comfort and connects me to long line of my grandmothers. Always a good thing, just like a visit from the Grandmothers.
I am the oldest of Grammy's grandchildren. I was born the day before my grandparent's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. My mother did not make to the party. My father showed up and evidently kept handing out cigars. It was the late fifties and that was the custom. I always referred to myself as their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary present.
Grammy was a strong, independent, very intelligent woman. If life had been different she would have made a fine doctor or lawyer. As it was, she was a very fine secretary. Now she would be called an administrative assistant. She organized and kept several executives at Dupont on track for the length of their careers. A business is only as good as its admin staff!
Grammy was fearless. There wasn't anything she wouldn't tackle. When I was fifteen I saw her wade into the middle of domestic dispute between the neighbours. The man's fists were flying, the woman was high and my grandmother sashayed right in and broke it up. I was having a heart attack from across the street. Granted, at the time, we were in the middle of rural South Carolina and at least twenty minutes from the police getting to us, but somebody (my grandmother) could have gotten hurt.
I would spend weeks with my grandparents without my siblings. We each had that opportunity. When I was there we would swim, cook, read, talk during the day when my grandfather was at work. Grammy retired first. In the evenings when he came home we would play cards after supper. We would drink Coke out of glasses filled with ice and have ice cream for a bedtime snack. It was hot down in July especially before air conditioning!
Grammy taught me about strength, grace and wisdom. She also taught me about how much I am loved. There are times when I need to be reminded of those lessons. It is then I go to my jewelry box and pull out her baby locket. It contains a lock of her hair and has teeth marks where she tried to chew it when she was young. My grandparents gave it to me for my high school graduation. It brings me comfort and connects me to long line of my grandmothers. Always a good thing, just like a visit from the Grandmothers.
I remember being lucky enough to spend a weekend with you at Grammy's house, oh so many years ago. Grammy was so very gracious and I thought you were the luckiest person alive to have such a wonderful grandmother. My grandmothers were both hundreds of miles away and when we did spend the required two weeks vacation with them, they were anything but fun. Keep those grandmother memories close to your heart!
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