Visiting my Grandma and Grandpa on my mothers side growing up meant: hours of playing freeze tag with my siblings and cousins, it meant field trips with my grandparents and cousins to places like The Steamboat Arabia, Worlds of Fun, and the Pony Express. It almost always meant at least one fishing trip with my Grandpa and then a fried fish dinner with mac'n cheese and canned green beans.
It also meant hours of uninterrupted reading time, exploring the hundreds of books on my Grandma's bookshelves in the basement. It meant sleeping on a hide-a-bed and simulataneously watching Shirley Temple, Flight of the Navigator and Lucille Ball. There was always something very peaceful about these visits.
Since our big move, it has been years since I have seen them. It just seemed too expensive and too far to go visit anytime soon, and time flies far too fast. Grandma has been declining for a while. She has lost her mobility since we left and is confined to a wheel chair. She needs help with just about everything, including brushing her teeth. She can not tolerate long visits like she used to and gets worn out very easily. But I had a wonderful idea--to go alone, perhaps with just my mom for a short weekend trip. We could rent a car and stay in a hotel to give them needed breaks from visiting. And so it was arranged. My mother brought two of my sisters, Amanda and Larissa, and we met up at the airport, checked into our hotel and had such a nice visit!
First of all, it was extremely nice to see my sisters and mom again too, since we are all spread out across the country. Visiting with Grandma and Grandpa that afternoon was so nice. Grandma appeared to be living in a different time of her life at times, and would be coherent other times. She told us her parents were "making a big transition," Grandpa snorted and responded, "I'll say! They're dead!" This, she refused to believe. So we played along.
Amanda was just a little girl the last time she saw Grandma and Grandpa. When Grandma saw her, she exclaimed, "This is Amanda? Amanda??? You are beautiful! You are just precious!" Amanda's grin was a mile wide at this praise.
The next day, we enjoyed some time with my cousin, her family and my Aunt and Uncle before having a pizza dinner at my Grandparents house. It was so nice to re-connect with her! We stayed up very late that night talking and catching up.
Even my cousin Brandon came, even though he had to work all night.
One last group photo before leaving. Family time is so precious!
No comments:
Post a Comment