Today was Grandparent's Day. A time to celebrate.... to remember.... to cherish all the love and memories that grandpas and grandma's pour into our lives.
My 4 grandparents are gone.
On Mom's side, Grandma Dottie passed away in 1996 and Grandpa Johnny died in 2002. Dad's parents died in 1998 (Jojo) and 1999 (Papa).
Amongst all my recollections of the 4 of them, I have so many positive, warm memories cherished in my heart. It's kinda funny how things come up in life with my family here in 2013 that remind me of an experience I had with 1 of the 4 of them years ago. Many times, that allows me to share a story with my girls to tell them a little bit about these 4 great individuals who poured into my life. (3 of the 4 had already passed away by the time our first was born; she was only able to meet Grandpa Johnny. Fortunately, we do have a picture of that meeting.)
On this Grandparents Day, I put together a list of some of the best memories I have of my grandpas and grandmas.....
Honnold side --
- Papa teaching me how to drive his Dixon lawn mower
- being Papa's partner as we dug up the potato from the spud patch each year
- Jojo sharing her 1977 Ford Thunderbird with me (my first set of wheels when I turned 16)
- Papa's amazing skill at billiards, especially the way he could shoot with the stick behind his back
- Jojo cookin' up a feast when holiday meals were held out at their house
- Papa letting me borrow his Oral Roberts Bible on cassette tapes
- sitting with Jojo and Papa in the pew at Harmony United Methodist Church, then at Kansas Christian Church
- Papa giving the Memorial Day messages out at Fairview Cemetery
- riding with Papa on tractors and the combine
- Jojo smoking her "peace pipe" (nebulizer)
- Jojo ordering little trinkets for us via mail order catalogs (Harriet Carter?)
- always having a stash of frozen mini candy bars in their freezer
- 15 minute chats with Jojo during my break on summer mornings when I was working at the farm
- Papa sharing his junk mail "loot" with my brother and I (stickers, seed catalogs, calendars, etc.)
- Jojo leading devotions on nights we'd be staying out there
- Papa cooking up big batches of Christmas cookies, including some type of gnarly fruit bar thing
- Jojo being one of my top customers for Mason Shoes and marigold bouquets
Nociar side --
- Grandma Dottie's fantastic mashed potatoes (the recipe lives on!)
- Grandma's lettuce salad (really good, just very unique with some type of funky dressing)
- and for dessert.... Grandma's date pudding
- walking with Grandpa around his pond
- chattin' with Grandpa about the Cardinals
- Grandma's housedresses
- riding with Grandpa into Benton on Kentucky Fried Chicken runs
- Grandma being a huge fan of Wal-Mart
- Grandpa catching me 2 bluegill and transporting them 2 1/2 hours north so I could have them for my aquarium
- Grandma's BIG aversion to having her picture taken or being captured by Dad on movie camera
- family get-togethers at Mt. Vernon Bonanza for a meal
- sitting in lawn chairs out under the trees in their yard during our visits
- Grandma keeping my brother and I well-stocked with "Fun Pads" (activity books)
- Grandma always having a supply of ice cream treats for all the cousins
- "The Grandpa Stretch": as we'd prepare to leave for home, Grandpa Johnny would lean over in his chair (the "stretch"), pull out his wallet, and give my brother and I a nice crisp $10 bill
What a joy to remember all this stuff ! Thanks Grandparents!!
out for now.....
Matt