I’m going to start by saying, “If you are lucky to have grandparents, you are lucky enough.” The memories, the laughs, and the love all stem back to a couple of people who care for you wholeheartedly. They hope for your success, pray for your well-being and strive to see your happiness.
It’s crazy for me to even picture a childhood that didn’t include four of the best people who have been a part of my life. They have not only shaped me into the person I am but have given me some of the best memories to cherish forever.
Why are grandparents so important you ask? Grandparents are important because, like your parents, they love you unconditionally. Except grandparent love is better because, in their eyes, you do no wrong.
Many of my childhood memories include my grandparents because let’s face it, they are really cool. With them, there has never been a dull moment and each time you visit is as good as the next.
My grandparents have always been the type of people up for adventures and fun activities. Whether it was blueberry picking every summer in Pennsylvania or a trip to Tuckerton Seaport, we always were off doing something that was exciting. Not to mention the endless ice cream trips to the general store and the buy-one-get-one Italian ices at Rich’s every summer.
Grandparents know what makes you happy, and honestly that is all they really want for you. That is why they stock the basement freezer with ice cream and teach you how to make a peach pie. It’s the reason they turn your seashells into necklaces and do cannonballs off of diving boards.
Without my grandparents, I wouldn’t have “Joan’s Famous Meatballs” or “Jean’s Potato Salad.” I would not have the endless grandpa jokes that make me laugh until I cry or someone to call “Weasel.”
There would be no memories at the lake or the big, family Christmas party every year. There would be no traditions or memories with my cousins, and the more I think about it, the more I realize that there would really be nothing at all.
Our grandmas and grandpas are important because they are the people that slow everything down so that we can all enjoy life. They make plans for family dinners and then cook the food with love. They play music and promote laughter and watch everything they have created grow stronger.
They are the “grandmas and grandpas,” “nanas and pop-pops,” and “amis and pi-pas.” They are the people who started it all and without them, we would be lost.
Our grandparents are some of the most important people in our lives. Not a day goes by where they do not pop into our minds while thinking back on a time that they made special.
So, thank you to my best friends and grandparents for making this little thing called life, a memorable ride. You have made the past 20 years extremely special, so here’s to that much more with you by my side and a thousand memories trailing behind.
Xoxo
