Happy Grandparents Day

Yesterday was Grandparents Day. At work I read a whole lot of great little quotes about grandparents to my residents. It got me to thinking about my own grandparents. Unfortunately, I didn't get to know three of my grandparents very well.

My paternal grandparents lived out west. I went to see them at least once that I remember. I know them mostly from my Dad's stories. I know my grandfather was a no nonsense kind of guy. I seem to remember a story about an uncle of mine who he "fired". But "fired" only meant he didn't get paid. Lucky guy still got to work just as hard, he just received no pay. He also said "never take advice from a loser unless he is telling you what he did wrong." My paternal grandmother seemed like a very neat lady. She took the kids out on hikes into the mountains. She would take picnic lunches. She taught Primary for a number of years at church and had a little "kit" she would take with that had crayons and other necessities in it.

My maternal grandfather passed away when I 13. When I was a kid he used to pick me up from school. I would come out of the building and he would be chatting with all of the mothers who where there to pick up their kids. He told me he wanted to go to school with me sometimes because it sounded like so much fun. He really liked chocolate milk, but grandma said he wasn't on his diet. We would stop on the way home sometimes and get a chocolate milk. The trick was he had to drink it before we got home to grandma. My maternal grandparents served a mission in Long Beach, California with the Cambodian people. Grandpa was not a highly educated man and the Cambodian language was difficult for him. But he had a great love for the people and they knew that. Which was good because there was one man whose name he just couldn't say and it came out "pork chop". I know how the poor guy felt. He always called me "Owndrea". Just couldn't get his mouth to say my name right.

My maternal grandmother is the grandparent I knew best. She cared for me when I was little so we spent a lot of time together. She taught me to make pies and cookies. She took me out to the garden and showed me how to pick beans, raspberries, and beets. She taught me how important church service was and how to care for others. I think it was Beth who told me she was shy, but I never would have known it because she was always the first to introduce herself to people and invite them over for dinner. I am blessed to have her journal and it is interesting to me to read how she saw the world.

I miss my grandparents a lot. I am glad to know that someday I will get the opportunity to know them better. Thank goodness for them. They helped make my parents who they are and my parents have passed down their wisdom to me. And probably some of their craziness, but all in all I feel grateful for them.