My Grandma was an amazing person. She was a short (under 5 feet tall) bundle of energy. She grew up on a farm with lots of siblings. When she and my grandfather got married they bought a house in the suburbs of Philadelphia and lived there for the rest of their lives.
Grandma was always happy to see you and she loved to talk. She never talked down to me and would always include me in whatever she was doing (laundry, errands, etc.) which made me feel grown up. Grandma grew up in the Great Depression and was a saver. She had closets of clothes, and things stored under beds. She hung her laundry out to dry and made her own freezer jams. I like to think that some of her frugal habits rubbed off on me! Grandma was an awesome letter writer and I could always count on a lengthy note in my birthday card every year.
I have lots of memories of time spent at their house, but some of my favorites were the big dinners, the game playing after the meal, and being compared to my grandmother.
Every time we got together there would be a big dinner. It amazes me looking back how she would always use her good dishes and everyone sat down together. The table was always loaded down with food and somehow she managed to cook it all in a kitchen that was the size of small hallway!
My dad’s side of the family is competitive. Any kind of board game or card game was played after the table was cleared and the dishes were done –all by hand! The M & M’s would come out and the teasing and game playing would go on for hours.
As we grew we would always compare our increasing height to Grandma. You felt like you had reached a milestone when you were taller than her! My mom would always comment how I looked like Grandma. My Grandfather had a picture of her on his dresser from when she graduated from high school and I was honored to be compared to someone who looked so beautiful and well put together.
I saw Grandma one last time in 2010. She was still the same Grandma and she recognized me, but she was the quietest I had ever seen her. The dementia was starting to make her forget her words and made it hard for her to put sentences together. I think she thought the Princess was a cute bundle of energy. I knew it would be the last time I would see her, and I was (and am) thankful for all the wonderful memories I had with her.