Grandma Karen and Papa John are a couple of the most loving, God-fearing and forgiving people I know. They welcome my cousins and I with open arms, no matter how many times we might disappoint them or do something they don't approve of. (Like the tattoo I got when I turned eighteen, or the next one a year later. Sorry, Grandma). At their house, we hold hands around the kitchen to pray before every meal and eat together at the dinner table. They happily open up their home to complete strangers when we bring friends over for dinner or to swim in the summer time, and my friends end up becoming besties with my grandparents!
They go out of their way to show us they love us. Between my ten cousins and I, I can't begin to count the number of soccer games, church fundraisers, dance recitals, graduations, assemblies and school musicals they have attended with such pride. They have willingly and ever so graciously supported us by buying school yearbooks, Friday night football tickets (dinner included) and those dreadful catalog fundraisers every year we were in school. The list could go on...
They have taught us to love God and to keep our faith at the forefront of our lives. I love to listen to my Papa John teach Sunday School and watch my grandma play piano or sit next to her and sing along to worship. I can go to them for life advice and know they will be honest with me, even if I am in the wrong.
My grandma is loving with actions, being the best cook I've ever known. Anything she makes is delicious, but her chili recipe during OU football games is my favorite. She can throw a party like nobody's business, with the cutest decorations to match. She is the definition of what a grandmother should be. I hope to one day love my children and someday, my grandchildren the way she has loved me.
My Papa John loves many things, but playing the drums and watching OU football has to be what he loves doing most. My best memories with him are singing in the praise band at church with him and praying with him before each worship service. He is diligent in his daily quiet time with the Lord and continually teaches me something new about God or my faith, even if he doesn't know that he does.
My grandparents have watched my cousins and I grow into adults, but they are the ones who supported us so much to become who we are today. They might not have realized when we were younger that taking us school clothes shopping or cheering us on at a soccer game could make such a difference, but it really is the little things that mean the most.
To me, the little things are what make my grandparents Papa John and Grandma Karen.
