When you go to college, you don't realize right away all the things you're going to miss out on. Pretty soon you start to notice when you are home you weren't there for that Sunday when your dad literally poured milk into a bowl instead of his glass. You weren't there with your family to help clean out your grandparents house when they went on a short vacation. Suddenly you start to miss hugs from your grandparents that you took for granted when you saw them every Sunday afternoon after Church. You miss the little things about them you wouldn't think about if you were still around. I could type forever about what I really want them to know, but for now, heres 5.
1. Lots of Sweets to Take Home for the Week.
I'll never get tired of the left over dessert grandma tries to get us to take home because "they don't need it." Well, see, we don't either but I will definitely eat it for you. Chocolate pie will always be my favorite even if I'm not a big fan of sweets, your desserts from brownies to chess pie to banana pudding will always satisfy my sweet treat of the week. I wouldn't want anyone else shoving the dessert down my throat, even when I am a little grouchy on "early Sunday mornings" (12pm).
2. Sunday Dinners
My all time favorite Sunday dinner is the one around July 26th, when I get my birthday dinner. Each person in the family gets their own dinner, choosing our own meal and dessert. Salmon patties, mac and cheese, pinto beans and cornbread will always be a winner to me with a chocolate pie. On all the other Sundays, we all eat together, clean up, and then the guys find their way to the living room while my mom grandma and aunts sit around the table and talk. I always wanted to be on the way home for a date with me bed and Netflix, but now I wish I had taken the time I had with the family a little more serious. Because no matter how weird they are, I wouldn't ask for anyone else to call my family.
3. The Occasional Twenty Dollars
No matter how much I DO NOT need it, I usually see my Pa reach for his wallet. He tells me to get something nice, and to be safe on the trip back to school. Over the years he has snuck me the money behind my moms back and out by his truck, I most likely blew it on a mall trip or to get some Chick-Fil-A. I always tell myself I'll save it for something that means something, but I'm 18 and I don't know whats worthless and whats not. I deserve a few teenage years to blow money on something I'll never use or wear, right? Either way, just a small amount of cash from my grandparents is just another example of their willingness to make sure the youngest girl in the family is happy.
4. Selfie Sundays
Teaching my Pa about the modern day "Selfie Sundays" was a learning experience to both of us. The look on his face when he learned the meaning "selfie" was priceless. Since then, every Sunday we have taken a selfie, and soon enough my friends on Facebook and Instagram waited every Sunday to see what my grandpa had to offer that week. Even the day of my high school graduation, Pa put on my graduation cap and we took a grad selfie. Without a guy like him to take a selfie with, my selfie game just wouldn't be the same.
5. The Lovable Hugs
No matter my attitude, mood, or resentment over nothing, the hugs always made their way to me. Every time I walked in the door or about to walk out, I receive a tight hug from my grandparents. The little things always showed the love, like cooking with Grandma every day before Thanksgiving and helping getting ready for the Pickett-Reliford Christmas party. Pa telling me every day has a reason to smile or making my boyfriend his birthday present for me, since he's good at the woodwork, I just had the idea. Donations from them to help me get to Vietnam on a Mission Trip and putting in the support for me graduating. Though they may not know it, the little things they do definitely have made the impact on me that only grandparents can do.
