Great-Grandma and Great-Granddad

During our trip down south last week, we visited my Grandparents (my dad's parents). We haven't seen them since October of 2007. They're both in their 80's with many aches and pains but sharp as a tack and without complaint. It was the cutest thing. They're so in love with each other, happy to be alive and needed.

We met my grandmother in the lobby of their retirement community. She now uses a walker, but rushed as quickly as she could to give us hugs and kisses. I could tell immediately she's not quite the strong swimmer she once was, but she's the warmest grandma you could ever ask for. She just laughed and smiled giving us hugs, immediately checking out her youngest great grandchild of many. We toured around the facility. I asked her, "so, what do you guys do here?". She joked, "as little as possible!". They still attend daily mass and follow with a trip to the local diner where the waitress refers to them as the sweethearts. And they are. Just enjoying their years together. The kids immediately warmed up to them, especially Grandma.

I've always admired her and wanted to be near her. I can't cook a pork roast without thinking of her as the smell of garlic fills my home. I religiously bake her biscotti at Christmastime in honor of her. She's a wonderful mother and wife, grandmother and great-grandmother, still sending my children Cracker barrel gift cards on their birthday. She's thoughtful, no other way to put it. She made the kids feel special in the few short hours they were with her.

Grandpa seems better than in recent years, more needed b/c my Grandma doesn't get around so well. They are the perfect example of how helping others leads to happiness. He's so proud to go up and get her meal in the cafeteria. He loved showing us around their apartment, pointing out all the old family pictures and telling stories. It was a small tidy place, not cluttered, but so cozy and full of pictures and one shelf in the den with an orderly row of stuffed animals, all gifts from my grandfather. I remember she always had one rose. He would bring her one, I think once each week. It's a nastalgic feeling when I think of them. I hope we see them again soon. My mom's parents have passed away and I would have also loved for my kids to remember them. Grandparents are special people that remind me of my childhood and the most simple times in my life.