Today I find myself missing my roots and thinking of my Grandparents. All of my Grandparents have now passed away and it’s funny what things instantly trigger a memory of them for me. Like this morning for instance while I picked up a large kitchen knife in order to cut something. I suddenly remembered how my Grandma B. used to shove a large kitchen knife through her front door jam at night. It was her “alternative lock” and it gave her enough piece of mind to allow her to sleep in that little apartment not worried about intruders. We often chuckled at how sorry any intruder would be trying to walk into Grandma’s house. You wouldn’t want to mess with her, he was a Bouncer in her younger days and feisty every day of her life. She had a long staircase right at her front door and all along the top ledge were nicknacks, ornaments and sharp frames. I asked her one time why she put them there and she said that if anyone got past her knife lock then they’d be getting all of those ornaments crashing onto their heads!! LOL! Oh how I love and miss my Grandma. B. She was a kind and loving person and the most generous person I have ever met bar none. It wasn’t that she had alot, it was that she GAVE alot. I hope that in that way I can grow to be like her. You never left her house empty handed, it didn’t matter who you were she always had something to give you. When she was ill in the hospital before she died we all went as a family to sing to her. I remember holding her hand and telling her not to be afraid, that it was ok to go. She’d had such a struggle, she was so sick and seeing her little body curled up in that bed when she could barely swallow water from a tiny sponge on her tongue or open her eyes is ingrained into my memory. I prefer to think about her as my dear friend that she always was to me while I was growing up. She loved me and I knew it. She always made me feel special and listened to everything I wanted to tell her. She had a hard life but she was a fighter, a beautiful red haired fireball! I loved to sleep over at her house, she would let me wash the floor and stairs and then pay me five dollars. We’d hop in a taxi and go to the mall where we’d buy something wonderful for me and we’d eat fries, gravy and 7-up. I still love fries and gravy to this day - it’s the PERFECT comfort food for me. Grandma always supplied me with dolls and barbie’s, dresses and my favourite cereal. When we’d go to her house she had short glasses with frosted pictures on them and would serve us sprite or 7-up every time. She always had a big bowl of candy for everyone to try, usually with liquorice all-sorts in it. Grandma had two birds that were her faithful companions for a few years. When they got sick or were about to die Grandma would give them a tiny dropper of whiskey and darned if those birds didn’t live longer because of it!
This little trip down memory lane has been sweet indulgence for me today. I love my Grandma and I feel so blessed to have had her love in my young life. I can often still hear her voice picking up the phone and being thrilled to hear that it was me calling. There’s no love quite like that of a Grandparent, I’m convinced that it’s almost worth aging just to be able to love as unconditionally as a Grandparent can.