Let me start by telling the world the responses I got from wishing my four lucky pennies a happy national grandparents day. I sent a text message along the lines of "I just wanted to tell you that I love you and thank you for all that you do for me". Nana and Grampy responded with: "Wow thank you so much, it's easy because we love you so much too<3". Grammie and Popah responded with: "Back at you. You are a pretty good oldest grandchild also. Very proud of you each and every day. Love you to the moon and back." So I think it's pretty safe to say that I am beyond lucky to have four amazing role models in my life who love me and support me every day. As I write this, I am quite overcome with emotion and I can't express how grateful I am for every memory, every text, every phone call, and every hug. This one's for you<3
To my Nana: You are the brightest firefly that flickers in every room of darkness, assuring everyone that a glimmer of hope will always exist. Thank you for the precious memories of splashing colors across pages of Barbie and Ken, designing wedding cakes and ice skating rinks with me on my favorite computer games, and completing homework packets all the way from your vacation home in Florida while I pretended to be your teacher. You are generous, you are THE BEST listener, and you take such good care of everyone around you. You open your home to any family member in town (dogs included) and are aways ready for a trip to Dunkin Donuts. You make me feel so loved every single day. Thank you for being my light and my hope.
To my Grampy: You are the bravest lion in a world of unexpected twists and turns. Thank you for the precious memories of parading around the Teach & Learn Shop with rolls of fadeless paper, calling me "the queen" whenever possible, and teaching me about the stock market when I was 10 (because I was the only 4th grader who knew that if there was a green arrow scrolling across the bottom of channel 46 then that was good news). Grampy, I can't even tell you how proud I am of you. It breaks my heart when I consider all that Alzheimers is and all that it does. I think it took me a year and a half to write an article about my grandparents because I knew I couldn't do it without telling the world about your patience, acceptance, and determination as you battle this disease. And I can't do that without crying. So I want you to know from the bottom of my heart that I am so proud of you and I appreciate you because you have kept your sense of humor, ask me all sorts of questions about my summer and my life at school, and you always laugh at all my jokes. We love you so much Grampy and I promise we will always always always take care of you. Thank you for being my strength and my fighter.
To my Grammie: You are the sweetest butterfly that flutters in and out of people's hearts with grace. Thank you for the precious memories of moon watching (and texting whenever there's a particularly beautiful moon that night), the Vera Wang pajamas you always get me for Christmas (the patterns just keep getting prettier each and every year), and for accompanying me on my prom dress shopping adventures. You are always there to defend me and support my choices in life. You encourage my love of writing (you even had someone handwrite my infamous diabetes poem and frame it) and always tell me to follow my heart, especially when it comes to choosing the people I want to keep in my life. I'm so glad we share the same birthday month and that you always trust my coffee and hot chocolate suggestions. Thank you for being my rock and my wisdom.
To my Popah: You are the orange candle that sits quietly in the back corner, occasionally twinkling as the sun goes down. Thank you for the precious memories of taking me to that off-Broadway performance, for your big warm hugs (and your laugh every time I tell you that you smell really good) and for making tuxedo pancakes on Easter mornings. You don't say much, but you always make sure to look me in the eyes and tell me you love me before you leave. You give firm handshakes to any important boy in my life and you always laugh at my dad's jokes (which really makes me smile for some reason; probably because you're my mom's dad so seeing that relationship between you and my dad is something I want my dad and my future husband to have).Thank you for being my peace and serenity.
Collectively, the four of you have set fire to the spirit in my heart. You have come to my basketball games, my theater performances, and my academic celebrations. You have let me vent my worries away and joke around until the running gags have been woven into the blanket of our family. But most importantly, the four of you have given me the best parents I could have ever dreamed of having. My mom and dad support me, encourage me, and love me the way that you do, and so many of the amazing qualities that I see in each of you, I have also found within their smiling eyes and compassionate hearts. Thank you for the best gift you could have ever given me; Jack, Adam, and I are so incredibly lucky.
I love you the most, to the moon and back, forever and always.
XOXO
Your oldest granddaughter
