When we were children, my grandparents provided my sisters and I with magic tricks, cookies, and karaoke machines to sing our hearts out. My Babcia, which means "grandmother" in Polish, would slip my sisters and I money when my mom wasn't looking like it was a drug deal. She was always up for trips to Toys 'R Us or Rainforest Cafe, where we were allowed to pick out a stuffed animal, because that is what made us happy. My Dziadziu, which means "grandfather," doesn't speak English very well, but he could always communicate with us by a simple smile. My favorite thing was when he laughed, because he didn't know what the joke was or why it was so funny, but he laughed because we were. If I were with my Grammy, she would make up her own songs and games to keep me entertained, or would sit me down to watch "Franklin" and fed me wagon wheel pasta as we waited for the bus to bring me to Kindergarten. If we were visiting my Grandpa in Pennsylvania, we would go to Knoebels Amusment Park, where we would ride bumper boats and play games, and to me, it felt like my Disney World, because at the time I've never been there before but it was my dream to go. My grandparents made my childhood magical and filled with love.
As I grew older, I was fortunate to have had grown up with my grandparents still in my life, and I understood, and still understand, what a gem they were and still are. Whether they are looking at me as if I can do no wrong, or calling me every Sunday at 11 am and telling me to, “stay as sweet as you are,” my grandparents see something in me that I may not even see in myself at times, and I think that is one of the most special things that there is about them. Our grandparents love us unconditionally. They wish more for us than they wish for even themselves. They always remind our parents of how lucky they are to have us, but really, we are the lucky ones to have our grandparents.
Before our grandparents became our grandparents, they were our parent’s parents. They raised the people who raised us, and shaped the hearts that shaped our hearts. My grandparents are the reason my dad is hardworking, ambitious and caring, and my mom is passionate, understanding, and strong. Because of our grandparents, our parents are there for us in the moments that we need them the most. Because of our grandparents, our parents have raised us to strive for success, and not get knocked down by failures. Because of our grandparents, our parents are the perfectly imperfect beings that you love for everything they are, because it is what has made you everything you are.
Up until recently, I was blessed to have had all four of my grandparents, at the age of 21. Not many people are lucky enough to be able to say that they had both sets of grandparents into adulthood, but I was, and I take a lot of comfort in that during this experience. I also take comfort in knowing that our grandparents don’t stop being our grandparents once they pass. Instead, they continue caring and looking out for us, but just from a different place, and in a different form. My grandpa is not going anywhere; his memory of wearing his wolf shirts, reading his war books, and doing his crossword puzzles will forever be with me. When I think of my grandpa, I think of his grandfatherly voice, his love for "The Three Stooges," and his smile, and I will never forget any of that.
The little details make up who our grandparents are to us, and that is what you hold onto. Then one day, when you least expect it, you may find yourself thinking about them, and the little details will come back to you - like your nose suddenly picking up the plastic-like scent of their house. And it will be all the confirmation that you will need to be sure that they are still there with you.
Rest in the sweetest peace, Grandpa. I love you.
