Grandma is always so happy to see me that she laughs!
Her golden grandchild has arrived.
I'm golden because I am the only grandchild that pays attention to her. I'm certain that I am the annoyance to the rest of my family members as they listen to story after story about amazing me. Amazing in my grandmothers eyes.
Sending her gifts for the holidays, her birthday and sometimes just because. I spend time with her, she doesn't know the others enough to talk about them. So yes, I am golden.
Time changes, but things don't change at grandmas house. That's what I love so much about grandparents. Time stops when you walk in their door, everything remains in its familiar spot, unchanged.
Gifts from me proudly displayed throughout her home. Gifts I have long forgotten about, a part of her everyday life. Grandma's are just like that.
At 87 years old her mind is sharp and her zest for life is still there, but she is slowing down.
She loves the mountains and the rivers. We both love nature. Tulips are a shared favorite flower.
Driving through the country, she tells me story after story about her life, so different than mine. Given up as a child, raised on a farm, making their own butter, soap, canning foods, etc. I capture the history of my family tree and embrace stories of family members I never met and stories of my grandfather that passed away when I was a child.
Stories that would be lost if I didn't listen.
She is an old woman now. Each of us has our own story and her's has many regrets she asks forgiveness for. She has forgiven the things that don't matter. Age does that.
She is a praying grandmother covering her family in prayers, unafraid to die.
My family thinks she is crazy. I love the fire that runs through her veins. She is full of spunk and spice and still gets the same glint of fire in her eyes that I recognize in my dad, my brother and a fire I am familiar with. I call it DNA.
We talk for hours on end, sharing details of our lives. This trip was extra special in learned secrets. We laugh together. We cry together.
I'm thankful for the time with my grandmother.
In my trips to my grandma's house I learn about my family history and along the way I learn more about myself.
