I am almost 22 years old and find few things better than a hug from my grandparents. They make me feel like the most important person in the world. I am incredibly blessed to have both sets of my grandparents still living. I never take that for granted.

My grandparents are walking, talking history books. I’ve mentioned before that I love history, and hearing my grandparents’ stories never ceases to amaze me. They lived during the Great Depression, World War II, started families in the 50s and raised their kids in the 60s and 70s. The things I read in textbooks and learn in classes are occurrences my grandparents lived through. How incredible it is that they are around to pass these stories down to me.

Not only do I love hearing their stories, but I also love how much of a presence they have in my life. My grandparents bring my family together. My big family gravitates towards their house. It is where holidays and birthdays are celebrated. It is also where I go after church on Sunday mornings and my grandpa makes me breakfast. It is the last stop before I leave for school where my grandma pulls out her liter of holy water and blesses me to have a safe journey.

I think one of the reasons I love my grandparents so much is because they raised, in my belief, two of the greatest people I know: my mom and dad. Clearly they all did something right. They showed my parents what hard work, love and family is all about. In turn, my parents taught my siblings and me these important lessons.

Unconditional love is a gift, and I get that from my four grandparents. In their eyes, everything I do is the “greatest” and my life is fascinating. I know that is far from the truth, but the joy they get from the smallest things I do is incredible. It is a love I have experienced like no other. My grandparents make all of their grandchildren feel special in their own way. What an amazing gift they are to me.