Emme

I have two grandchildren.  The oldest is 3 and the youngest is 1. I became a mother at 21 and a grandmother at age 45. Kind of young, but I've always been in a hurry to do everything. There are a lot of things about this life that I am not sure about - but one thing I know is that a grandmother can be an enormous influence in a child's life. Memories of my grandparents fill my mind and shape my life. My mother's parents lived 12 hours away so we visited once in the summer and often at Christmas. That grandmother died when I was only 8 years old, leaving my 29 year old mother to raise three children far away from her home with no mother for guidance. But even at 8 and only visiting once or twice a year, I have a sense of orderliness and decorum, grace and classiness that she exuded and with which her house was filled. My maternal grandfather was a writer, a journalism professor, an amateur museum guide and a comedian. We visited Florida every year growing up and I never knew that it was the home of Disney World. But I am familiar with most of the museums, historical and natural sites in and around Gainesvile. He gave me that great gift. And he taught me comedic sarcasm. They had a pool. My most abiding memory of their home is lying in bed, listening to adult murmuring and smelling the fabulous smells of toast and coffee. I would get up and eat looking through their hurricane windows (the horizontal ones that you crank open), through the palmetto plants, gazing out at that sparkling pool. They would all insist that I eat breakfast and then rest for 30 minutes - remember? - but then I headed for that glorious pool. And stayed there all day. The smell of toast cooking, a summer breeze and a sparkling swimming pool all take me back to my grandparents house. 

And then there are my other grandparents. I will have to write a separate blog (or series) to fully describe my memories of them. They are the ones that I grew up with. Our extended family gathered frequently when I was growing up, and I also stayed with them as often as they would let me. I really will make those memories a separate post because there are just so many and the point of this post was intended to be that I want to make sure that I offer my grandchildren that same rich experience of being with grandparents. There is just a magical connection there.