grandmas

nothing beats afternoons with grandma.

i wouldn't say i was very close with my grandmother up until a few years ago. after my grandpa passed away my mom would have me go over there and spend time with her. she had never been alone in her entire life and it was a new concept to her. after marrying at sixteen she had always had someone with her. but i always felt like the black sheep of the family. the loud and opinionated one who couldn't turn down a heated discussion to save my life. i always thought my grandma loved me the least. although its impossible for a grandmother not to love all the same and i knew it was stupid chip i always carried that on my shoulder. (i blame my dad haha)

after i returned home from New Mexico the summer my grandpa passed away i started going over to her house to visit. soon my hour awkward visits turned into all day visits talking until the wee hours of the morning. that's the neat thing about my grandma...she stays up later than me sometimes. maybe it was being the mother of five. or the grandmother of six. great grandmother of soon to be two. or the loving wife of a man with Alzheimer's that she spent hours worrying about throughout the night. maybe its all those things that makes a women be able to function on little to no sleep.

throughout the past few years my grandma has become very very dear and close to me. almost like a best friend.

i went to visit my grandma the day after i got home from Florida this summer. she had been on vacation a few weeks before i left for mine and our dates overlapped so we hadn't seen each other for a while. while i was in Florida one of her sisters passed away and i hadn't really gotten around to calling her. i hadn't seen her in over a month and the moment i walked in the door to her house its like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. grandmas have a way of making everything okay. we talked over her soap operas humming in the background about my trip, shared pictures, and laughed about how California drivers are the best.

she asked me if i was hungry and of course that meant it was time for lunch for the two of us. ham sandwiches on wheat bread, potato salad, and cheetos. the lunch i have eaten for twenty one years of my life at grandmas. as a kid i hated the thought of eating at her house. it was plain, simple, and not very flavorful. and always the same. but now that i am older i love the simplicity of the meal. the consistency.i love that going to grandmas means a hot living room, talks over plastic glasses of water, and the same lunch. shes always constant. shes always stable. shes always the same. in the whirlwind of life she is one of the things i will cling to to keep me grounded. she is a little piece of my soul that will never change. and i love that about her.

another thing i love about my grandma is how she will talk to me for hours on end about anything and everything my heart desires. she'll listen to me plan my dream wedding, watch say yes to the dress, talk about my heart for adventure, or about any frustration bothering me. but i love it most when she talks to me and shares with me stories about her life. about falling in love with my grandpa when she was only thirteen years old. or the young girl my mom was and how much alike we are. i love hearing her stories because i feel like i become alive hearing them. i love knowing about my past and the people i love who fill the pages of my history books.

when i was visiting my grandma this time she was talking about true love. we had talked about it before but this time was very special. she actually talked to me about her relationship with my grandpa. not something i knew very much about. she talked about their struggles, the work that marriage takes, and how my grandpa loved her. it was so neat to hear about the work that marriage takes and when you really love someone how worth it it truly is. she told me that she knew her marriage with my grandpa was a match made in heaven and there's no way their marriage would have lasted unless God was the center always.

i am beyond blessed to have this relationship with my grandma after all these years and get a chance to know a different sides of her. i wish i had spent all my years growing up learning these things about her but i know now that I'm older i am able to fully appreciate them.

 

so i challenge you all. spend some time with your grandparents. listen to their stories (even if they repeat them :D) and consider yourself lucky to spend time with them. and most importantly, love them for the consistency and stability that they offer. they might not always be here and you wouldn't want to miss out on a life changing relationship.

 

<3

 

lunch :)

my grandma and grandpa <3