The Letter G

G

Grandmother, Grandfather, Grandchildren

Both sets of my Grandparents are now gone. I was very close to my mom’s parents since my dad’s parents were always traveling and not really around as I was growing up. I can still remember sitting on grandma’s lap as she rocked in her wooden rocking chair as grandpa messed around trying to fix things that were not really broken. Grandma had very good peripheral vision and watched grandpa without him knowing or maybe he did know and just ignored the feeling. My Grandparents loved each other dearly and when grandma passed it didn’t take long for Grandpa to follow. I was just a child but I can remember the way they lovingly chastised each other all the time. I still smile when I remember the looks between them and then watched as they kissed each others cheek.

When my parents became Grandparents I can still remember my fathers words….”I wish only the best times for you and your family, and I do hope that your children will bless you with all the fun times you blessed your mother and me with”. I call this one of my most blondest moments ever (no offense meant to any blonde readers) since I thought he was being sweet and honest. It wasn’t until a few hours later that his words filled my mind and I knew exactly what he meant! It wasn’t that I was a bad child, I was just very curious and well in today’s modern day words kids like me are described as “a very busy child”. I figured that I would live a wonderful happy life with children who really didn’t misbehave, (because you know I was always a behaved child) and then my children would grow up and have children of their own making me a Grandmother myself. The only thing that I did tell my children is that I wanted to be called nana since the word grandma makes me feel old. All 3 of my kids agreed but I could see the laughter in their eyes as they watched me desperately trying to hold onto whatever slim hope of youth I could manage.

Well surprise, surprise I became a nana, but not the way I thought Mother Nature would help aide in. My oldest daughter called and asked if she could come over. She said she needed to talk with me and she was bringing something to show me and that I would be happy. Over the past weeks she had been hinting that he life was going be changing. I never really paid to much attention to that statement since my oldest was always participating in different things. Oh the joy I felt because I had that intuition, you know the one I mean…..”woman’s intuition”. Ohhhhhh my first born was going to be a mom! The joy I felt. I was going to be a nana!!!!!! Oh I began to get that happy dance feeling. She would need everything. There was a baby shower that had to be planned and O.M.G. I could almost smell that wonderful scent of a freshly bathed and powered baby as she or he lay nestled in my arms. I think I was actually talking out loud as I said the words “I’m gonna be nana!!!!! (can you tell I was excited??????)

She was going to be a few hours since she lived out of town so I decided to bake her favourite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in celebration of her news. Oh I would play cool and coy. I would not let her know that I had guessed. I would not want to ruin her news for anything. I watched with a knowing smile in my eyes as she pulled up. She got out of her car and opened the back passenger door. She leaned in as though to get something and then stood up. She had something in her hand and when she came into view she had 2 dogs with her. I didn’t think anything of it because as I said she was always doing something a bit different. She came in and kissed me on the cheek and said hi mom.  The dogs lumbered in after her and yes they lumbered since then were porky English Bull Dogs. She said mom, meet your granddaughters….Ava and Toot.

Yes…that’s crickets your mind hears since I was totally speechless

When I finally found my voice I said oh they are cute and without missing a beat I cocked my head to the side and said come in and have some cookies.  I sighed quietly thinking to mself….Good Lord I am a nana to a pair of English Bull Dogs.

This is my grandaughter Ava

and this is my other grandaughter Toot