Thursday, July 28, 2011

Thankful Thursday ~ Memories of Grandma

Every Thursday I share something I'm thankful for.  In the midst of our everyday lives, the ups and downs and the negative, we sometimes forget there are things to be grateful for, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.


Today I'm thankful for the memory of my Grandma.  Yesterday would have been her ninety-sixth birthday!  She passed away four years ago after suffering from dementia.

I didn't grow up living close to her.  My dad was in the army and we lived all over the country but went to visit her and other relatives in California every time we moved.  I can remember her coming to visit us everywhere we lived.  She loved to fly and never passed up the opportunity to do so.  When I left home and got married, I didn't see her very often until she retired and moved to Arkansas to live close to my mother.  So I got to spend time with her when I would go home or often times when my parents came to visit me and she came too.

Grandma made the best ever banana nut cake with a hard caramel frosting.  She made it for me every time I came to visit.  She LOVED strawberry ice cream and her freezer was always full of it!  She loved to have her picture taken, loved to be complimented, and worried about how her hair looked when she went out.  The one memory I will never forget is when she called me after my first miscarriage.  It was the one and only time she called me and she wanted me to know that she had a miscarriage many years before and she understood how I was feeling.   She is the only person who told me it was okay to mourn the baby I didn't have.

I miss her, but I have good memories and I'm thankful for every one of them!

I'm also thankful for
     an understanding husband
     the kindness of strangers
     a/c in the car
     ice cold water

What are you thankful for today?

13 comments:

  1. Your grandma sounds like she was a great woman!

    Today I'm thankful for A/C at home, my happy customers who come back for more jewelry, and my cute husband.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry I messed up and submitted before comment was proof read - my bad. :(

    Your grandmother was certainly a very special and a very grand woman indeed. She had a lot of insight and it was so thoughtful of her to reach out and share that insight with you when you were emotionally hurting from having miscarried your first baby. Only a woman who had been through the same could understand and empathize so completely.

    Today I'm happy because I just visited Cabin+Cub's blog and found that she's having a give away. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a sweet tribute to your grandmother! I learned many lessons from my maternal grandmother that I carry with me to this day. And, incredibly, my paternal grandmother is still living at 101 years!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a lovely piece. I was incredibly close to my maternal grandmother, so I am thankful for her as well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your Grandmother sounds like an awesome person! I am thankful that I was able to meet and have a relationship with all of my grandparents. I am thankful for health, family, friends, life.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a lovely tribute to your Grandmother, sounds like you have many special memories of her!

    It's such a wonderful thing to do, write about what you are thankful for each week. Life can 'muddy' up things, and we can forget to keep in mind all the awesome people, memories, moments... etc. that we are thankful for!

    Today I am thankful to have both of my kids here with us, it's rare when we can all be together. Our daughter is here visiting from Texas and will be leaving tomorrow to go back home. (Our son lives here.) It's been a very special time, the four of us together! :) We will miss her.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sweet, thoughtful words, Annette. Sounds like you were blessed to have her in your life. I was not close to my grandmas, though I still loved them dearly. But that's why I'm thankful (today and every day) for the opportunity to forge a close relationship with my grandsons and other grandkids to come.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your grandmother was very lucky to have you as her grandaughter!
    Judy K.

    ReplyDelete
  10. How sweet! I am so very grateful for my husband and children!!!

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a wonderful photo and lovely memories to have of your grandmother :)

    We haven't been very fortunate with Grandparents, mine died when I was young or before I was born and unfortunately it has been the same for my kids. But I am thankful for having my kids :)

    Have a lovely weekend, keep that AC cranked :) Regards, T. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anette that was beautiful to read what you wrote about your Grandmother. Awww she sounded so sweet. I miss mine too..ox
    PS Grandmas are the Choclate chips in life! lol

    ReplyDelete
  13. Awww - I didn't know either of my Grandmothers how sweet to remember the little things! XOXO

    I am grateful for our pop up pool!!! and what a about that banana bread recipe?

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment.