This is a letter/story I wrote to my grandmother several years ago….on a day when I was missing her. I happened upon it this afternoon and felt compelled to share. Love is everything. Family is everything. I am blessed beyond measure for I have both in my life. I challenge anyone who reads this to write a letter to someone in their life who has made a lasting impact. Now is the time to let those we love know.

It Happened at Grandmother’s House

                It all started a long time ago, on a cold wintry night. A young woman was experiencing the pains of labor, so off she trekked to the hospital…driven by her own mother. After a time a baby girl was born…and along with her, a grandmother.

The baby was a lovely little creature with eyes like blueberries, very little hair and cute fingers and toes. She brought happiness to the house where she lived. Her mother loved her oodles and oodles. Her Auntie would coo at her and play with her toes. Her Grampy would snuggle her and feed her. Her uncle would coo at her before going out to play. Her Grandmother would snuggle her in the night when she awoke. She would feed her, and while she fed her she would sing “I love you a bushel and peck and a hug around the neck.” This baby grew and grew with all this love. She was given several nicknames “Grammy’s Angel Baby Darling Sweet Kid Thing,” “Danie,” “Dooga,” “Pumpkie Wumpkie” and likely more. This is what happened at Grandmother’s House.

That baby grew and grew, into a walking, babbling toddler. Her Auntie would dress her up and teach her how to blow kisses. Her Mom and Grampy would snuggle her and play. The family dog Sam would snuggle up near her. Her Uncle would play with her. Her Grandmother would play train and airplane while feeding her. Her mother made her a beautiful Christmas stocking. Her grandmother would knit pretty things for her and make her blankets. And quilts. These are things that happened at Grandmother’s House.

That baby continued to grow. While she was growing so was her mother, Mother and baby moved into a place of their very own. But that little baby still went to Grandmother’s House almost every day. There were times that Grandmother and Grampy would pick her up from daycare and take her on a day trip. There were times when she would just go spend the night. There were times that Grampy would pick up Mother and Baby and take them for picnics. There were times that Grandmother would come get the Baby (who by now really is a little girl) and just take her to visit. Sometimes these things happened at Grandmother’s House.

As that little girl continued to grow, so did her sense of family as well as Love. The little girls Auntie lived out of town, but Grandmother used to go pick up Auntie every Thursday and Sunday and bring her over for the day. Sometimes, the little girl even got to ride over to Auntie’s house with Grandmother. The little girl liked that a lot. The little girl got to snuggle with her Auntie and her baby cousin….and her Grandmother. These are things that happened at Grandmother’s House.

While growing up, the little girl learned that sometimes life just isn’t fair. A time comes when we lose people that we Love. The little girl learned this first when she was about 4 years old, the family dog, Sammy died. The little girl loved Sammy so much. Sammy was with the little girl as much as her Auntie was. Even at that young age, the little girl felt so sad as she stood in Grandmother’s kitchen, talking into the black phone that hung on the wall, her Auntie’s voice on the other end, telling her that Sammy went to Heaven. Sometime later on, the little girl’s Uncle Shawn brought home a very cute puppy named Magnum. The little girl loved that puppy, but she still missed Sammy. This is what happened at Grandmother’s house.

Soon, the little girl was old enough to begin preschool. She had to give up baton lessons to go to preschool. Her mom gave her the choice, so the little girl was happy about that. And it was nice that her former baton teacher lived right across from Grandmother, so she could go visit. As she got older her Uncle Shawn taught her about basketball with the hoop in the driveway and at the end of the road. Her Grampy would play catch and let her “help” him cook. Her grandmother continued to read with her and make her lovely quilts and even gave her very first Cabbage Patch Doll AND Care Bear!!!

This little blue eyed babe continued to grow. She had moved away for a short time with her mother but eventually returned to her Grandmother’s House. The little girl loved the feeling she got when she walked into her Grandmother’s House. It always smelled like her Grandmother. And she was comfortable there. The little girl grew to love and look forward to Sunday Dinners where they would enjoy ham or corned beef, potatoes, TURNIP (which turned out to be her favorite, thanks to her Grandmother!), carrots, cabbage, lots of yummy food. Often times there would be football games on the television. And the little girls Uncle Tommy would let her brush his hair for what felt like hours. But it made the little girl so happy. His was shiny and soft and always smelled good. Her Grampy had rectangle shaped barber type of brush that she would use. When she was tired of that her Grampy would allow her play a few rounds of poker or 21 (he taught her how to play pretty well!) and then sometimes she was allowed to help in the kitchen with the women. The little girl looked forward to the big dinners that happened on Sundays, Thanksgiving and Easter. Christmas was a magical time in its own right. You see, Christmas was Grandmother’s favorite. She decorated the house and the yard. And it seemed like her tree was always the biggest and prettiest, complete with garland, ornaments and shiny tinsel. Grandmother liked to make special treats around the holidays, such as stuffed dates, pomander balls and rum balls. The little girl loved to help make these…and eat them! On Christmas Day, when she was old enough, she even got to play Santa with her cousin and brother and help hand out gifts for everyone. Grandmother loved to do nice things for her family. She made sure that everyone got something they needed and something they wanted. Everyone had their own stocking that would hang on the mantel….yes, that little girl’s stocking was the very same one her mother had worked hard to make her for her very first Christmas. These are things that happened at Grandmother’s House.

Years went by and that little girl continued to grow, just as she continued to spend time at Grandmother’s house. Sometimes she would have friends overnight with her. Often times she would go by herself and she and grandmother would have a “date” of their own. They enjoyed watching movies together and having chicken nuggets and French fries. There was a lot of Cheddar Popcorn in there too. And because Grandmother knew that the little girl loved it so much, she would often make sure that there was chocolate chip ice cream. The young girl would go to Grandmother’s House when she was sick. Grandmother would tuck her into bed, make her chicken and rice soup and allow the girl to rest until she felt better. These are things that happened at Grandmother’s House.

Boy was this little girls GROWING! From the time she was an infant her mother knew she had an illness, but it wasn’t until she was 3 years old that she was diagnosed with asthma. The little girl was hospitalized frequently. Whenever that was the case her grandparents would make it a point to visit frequently. Her grandmother would get up early and get the girls favorite donut from Mac’s (their glazed donuts were the BEST) and bring her something to read. Then she would sit with the girl for most of the day, you know, so she wasn’t lonely. This is when she brought Grandmother’s House to the girl.

While there were LOTS of great things that happened at Grandmother’s House, sometimes sad, unfair things happened too. When that little girl was just 10 years old, she stood in her Grandmother’s living room with the rest of her family and began mourning the loss of her Uncle Shawn. When she was 12 years old, she lost the most important man in her life, her beloved Grampy. When she was 15 years old she lost Magnum, the loyal and faithful family companion. When this girl was just 17 years old, she feared that she might lose Grandmother due to health issues. Thankfully, Grandmother pulled through and they young girl was able to help care for her at home. It was during these times that the importance of love and family were reinforced for this girl. These are things that happened at Grandmother’s House.

That young girl continued to grow into an adult. Where, unfortunately she made some poor choices and thankfully she made some great choices. In the mix of those choices, the girl alienated most of her family for a time. It was heartbreaking for the girl. What she really wanted was to curl up in Grandmother’s bed with a quilt and just feel better, from the inside out. Eventually, the family came together again, along with the birth of this girls’ first child. So, Grandmother was born into a Great-Grandmother, who came to be known as GG. Now, GG has a solid reputation in her own right. She is well known in her great grandchildren’s circle of friends for being fun, loving, thoughtful and caring. Some of this is because she thinks of these kids often and makes them things. Some of it is because she used to visit A LOT (which the granddaughter and great grands LOVED), some of this is because she would always push the kids in the swing and play a game outside. But mostly, it is because she gave them love. Unconditional love, the same love that she gave to that little girl, beginning on the night of her birth, that cold wintry night in January. GG doesn’t just love. GG IS LOVE.

Below: A four-generation photo. My Auntie w/cousin T.J., Gram (GG), Great-Grammy (GG’s Mother), My Mother and me.