DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE EVENTS AS I RECALL THEM/RECALL HEARING ABOUT THEM. SINCE MY MEMORY IS MODERATELY (moderately?) FAULTY, THERE MAY BE ERRORS. I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY MISLEADING INFORMATION :)
As you may have guessed from my title, I've been thinking a lot about grandparents lately. While I was growing up, my dad's parents lived a half-hour away (we saw them at least once a week. Usually Sunday after church) and while my mom's parents lived in Lynn (near Boston) they always visited every summer for a few weeks. All in all, this was great. I hadn't ever thought about how lucky I was until I was talking to a friend who didn't remember any of his grandparents. That was an eyeopener for me, and I realized how lucky I was to have had all of them for so long.
Even though this conversation took place two years ago, in my college years things have changed with my 'grandparent situation.' My Grandma (Geebee) passed away my freshman year, I almost lost my grandpa Papa the next summer (after sophomore year). This May, my grandpa Pop-pop passed away, and my grandma Mom-mom had a frightening week this summer. I just had never thought that my grandparents would get old(I mean, older than they were. I noticed that my grandparents never had ages until I was older). All four grandparents have had a different impact on my life, and I just want to take the time to share their awesomeness and where they are now.
So, I think I'll start with Dad's parents. Now, the first thing that has to be said here is that my dad's side of the family is pretty patriarchal (I mean that in a good way, and I'm not trying to make anyone look bad) and it didn't make as much sense that I wanted to go to college (I should be getting married), but they got used to the idea, and are proud that I graduated with my BA's.
First comes Mom-mom. She always calls me "her little lady," and since she never had daughters, my sister and I are pretty special. Mom-mom is a library patron and proud of it, so while my parents get the full blame for my reading bug, I think it must be genetic. Mom-mom is also kind of reserved, but she's also not afraid to speak her mind (I know it's weird, but that's the truth). She also is, in a weird kind of way, very fierce and strong. I don't think it's obvious at first, but she is a strong woman. She is also very hospitable, when you visit she offers food and drinks. Usually cake, ice cream, cookies. And iced tea. Her favorite color is purple. She likes dogs more than cats and, since she didn't want an actual puppy we got her a fake one.
Earlier this summer, Mom-mom had to have a pacemaker and a stint put in; her heart had the same beat as an Olympic Cross-Country Runner. I love my grandma, but she is not a cross-country runner, so that was a bad thing and had to be fixed. There were also a few scary points where she was considering just being done. I was in SD at the time, and this was a scary time to be away from home. She is doing much better though.
Next, comes Pop-pop. Pop-pop used to be a landscaper. Their yard and flowers were always beautiful. He was also a carpenter (I have a few pieces of furniture made by him). He loved ice cream (but I never saw him use a cone, only a bowl). He also loved iced tea, and had a glass that A. Only he used and B. Was for tea. I also remember, from when I was little, that he had a great voice for reading out loud. He also worked at a shipyard for the Navy during WW2. I remember before he started to loss his vision and hearing hardcore that he loved crossword puzzles. Also, Pop-pop hated dandelions. As a result, I think of him every time I see the darn things.
Pop-pop passed away in May, after a long stint in the nursing home. It was hard to put him there, but no one was able to take care of him in the way that he needed to be taken care of. I think he was just waiting at the end. So while his death was really very, very sad; at the same time I had a vision in my brain of Pop-pop skipping through heaven and doing some landscaping.
I think I'll pop over to Mom's folks now, starting with Geebee. In this side of the family, you are required to love the Red Sox and hate the Yankees (or at least fake it). The summer before I went to college, the five of us, Geebee and Papa loaded up our Astro Van and road-tripped along the Washington/Oregon border and then drove up and down the Oregon Coast. All together, the trip was 10 days and the best family vacation ever.
Geebee, or Geebster, was a hilarious, short, lady. Geebster sewed, knitted and did all sorts of other crafty things, she loved her family, church, spoiled cat and the Boston Red Sox; she also was the most computer savy person I have ever met (outside of computer science people). She also frequently started to swear and stopped (not expected in a grandma). Her favorite animals? Giraffes. Favorite color, yellow.
Geebee, the youngest of my grandparents, was the first to go. This a blog post in itself, so I'll just say it was kind of a shock and I feel blessed that I made it home before she died. I hadn't been home from school yet, and was looking forward to parent's weekend when I got to go home and see everyone. The last time I saw Geebster before that had been when they dropped me off at BJ (Baldwin-Jenkins/Akili)) for my freshman year. I'll stop here and avoid the can of worms that open (as far as my emotions go) when talking and thinking about this.
Finally, last and certainly not least, comes Papa. Never, ever, tell him that you're finished after dinner, or let him tell you a joke. Papa is really quiet, a people watcher, hates talking on the phone, loves the game-show network and is also kind of/very stubborn. It's an interesting thing, but he and Geebee were prefect complements to each other. Both sets of grandparents were like that. At least that's how I always saw it.
Papa had a heart attack my the summer after my junior year of high school, then he had a quadruple bypass my sophomore year of college. That summer, he had a reaction to his meds that mimicked the signs of Parkinson's. There is a family history of Alzheimer's, so this was a surprise in that we expected to have more time. It was also hard to watch Mom during this time. It was figured out and he's home now, but it was a bad summer for a while there; no one knew what to expect.
But, those are my grandparents. Having them in my life shaped me in ways that I'm sure I don't even realize yet,and I am so blessed to be part of my family.
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