Obviously I could fill a whole year with amazing posts from November’s past. But I had to narrow it down to just one. It was tough. And then it wasn’t. There’s one post I treasure. Maybe the biggest blog treasure I have. Throughout time I have come back to read it again and again. It is a great reminder. This post is dear to my heart.
I am talking about my grandparents and what kind of people they were. What they had taught me and what I will cherish. Things I try to remember and live by. It is a tribute.
I would like to add one things to each one of them today:
Granny: She created floral arrangements for the graves and I still find her supplies sometimes at the country home.
Gramps: He initiated my love for blueberries. Best memories foraging with him.
Grandma: She always had her hair in a fancy bun and looked dapper. It might be the reason my wedding hairstyle was similar?
Grandpa: His determination to fight Parkinson is something I am in awe. He was such a fighter. Not only during this disease.
Have you been blessed knowing all your grandparents? Tell me one thing you learnt from a grandparent? How do you keep their memories alive? Is there a clothing style that always reminds you of your grandparents? Do you have a recipe handed down from grandma?
14 comments
This is such a special post about your grandparents and what they taught you.
Grandparents are such a blessing – I knew 3 of mine and wish I had, had more time with them.
I am very blessed to have known them all. And I agree the older I get the more I wonder what I missed and they could have taught me. Why is it that we (I ) don’t listened enough when they were around.
Such a beautiful post. One of my grandfathers had already passed when I was born, The rest I knew and remember as if I just saw them yesterday. Both of my grandmother’s died when I was a child, but my grandfather on my dad’s side lived into his 90s and was able to get to know my children, his great grandchildren.
That is so special to have him see the great grandchildren.
When my last grape died my niece was a toddle and my nephew just born. I took a lot of photos when they visited him in the hospital so the have something to see later. I hope the will cherish these photos later.
Your grandparents (and parents, really) would have lived through such hard times. They sound wonderful. I knew three of my grandparents and my mum’s mum lived next door to us while we were growing up, so we saw her a lot. We have her sponge cake recipe, which she used to bring over for dinner most Sunday nights.
Having a grandparent live next door is so special. Are you still baking the sponge cake regularly?
My grandparents most definitely had some heart ships. Both grand dads were in the war. One survived Stalingrad. One was an atheist and became a pastor afterwards. My grandmas didnt have it easy either and one experienced the brutality of Russian soldiers. So the trauma was definitely all around but no one talked about it. We poked the fingers in the wounds of grenade splinters as kids and beloved all grandparents have that.
This is lovely! I knew two of my grandparents. They played a big role in my life growing up, since I didn’t have the other set of grandparents, and didn’t have a close relationship with any aunts or uncles. I feel really terrible that my kids didn’t really get to experience having grandparents- both my husband’s parents died before our kids were born, and my parents died when the kids were pretty young. My daughter especially can barely remember them. I’m determined to stay youthful and healthy so I can be there for my own (eventual) grandkids!
It is a privilege to have known all my grandparents. I even knew two of my great grandmas.
What a wonderful motivation for you to stay fit and healthy. It makes a lot of sense know the back story. Thank you for sharing. I didn’t know that you lost your parents early.
This is a lovely post, Tobia. I am glad you got to know all your grandparents and that each of them left you with special memories.
Your wedding hair do is lovely. My great-aunt (which was my substitute grandma, as my grandma died when I was 6), also wore a fancy up-do (like a “banana bun”) all her life.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to know my maternal grandma because she died when my mom was only 20. But I had some great “surrogate grandmas”.
Surrogate grandmas what a wonderful term.
This is the only thing I am struggling with. I will have no grandkids when being old who come visit me and who I can craft with. Maybe I need to become a surrogate grandma.
That’s nice. I’d be lost if I had any meaningful posts, I accidentally deleted a blog I’d started in 2012 earlier this year. All gone.
Oh no. I am sorry you did that. I only ever accidentally delete a blog post. The whole blog. Ouch.
This is such a great topic. I could write so much, but I really need to get to bed. I love what you’ve shared here about your grandparents. They sound very special and I’m glad you got to know them.
I was blessed to know all four of my grandparents. They were all so wonderful. My grandmas both knew how to sew and one my grandmas was very crafty and I used to love to craft with her. My paternal grandpa was a riot. He lead an interesting life – had a private audience with the Pope when he was a young man – all because he met a man in a bar while he was traveling in Italy. He passed away when I was 8 mos pregnant with Lad, my oldest. My paternal grandparents lived through the depression, so they were very frugal. I have my maternal grandmother’s Irish soda bread recipe, that was her mother’s and it’s an outstanding version of Irish soda bread because it isn’t dry. My maternal grandpa used to do little games with the grandkids, and we could win a dollar bill. Always a big hit.
What wonderful memories of your grandparents. It almost seems like a universal trait that grandmas were crafty and could sew. But then it was the time where they had to.
A private audience with the pope – it does sound like he’s been a whirlwind.
Like the depression your grandparents made you frugal the war did it for my grandparents.
We live in such abundance and don’t know real hunger. My grandpa mentioned that once and it stuck with me because it is so true. I do not know what hunger is.