“A garden of love grows in a grandmother’s heart” – Unknown
Coming into the world as a child, there are various important people in our lives. Our parents, our siblings (if applicable) and our grandparents. Don’t get me wrong, all of those people hold a special place in, our hearts, but one that I want to focus on is grandmothers.
Grandmothers go by all kinds of names; grandma, nana, grammy, memaw and the list goes on. I am lucky to have two grandmothers still living who mean the absolute world to me. One goes by Nana and the other by Grandma. Naturally, we often think that we take most after our parents, either our mothers or fathers or some combination of the two. Not often do we look to our grandparents to make the comparison. I am lucky enough to have many of the features of my father while also looking very much like my grandma, my father’s mom. Every time I go and visit her, I am told I take after her in some of my facial features and in my build. My grandma’s engagement picture matches the woman I have become today. I am blessed to take after such a beautiful, talented and sweet woman whose smile can make my whole day brighter.
God has graced the world with grandmothers for a reason, just as we were brought into this world for a purpose. Grandmothers are meant to spoil us with love and care. I don’t know how many times my Nana has been there for me whenever I was sick and home alone or how many times she has held me as I’ve been upset or hurt. They are our shoulders to lean on when we are weak and they always welcome us with open arms whenever we see them. Grandmothers are also there to make sure we are well fed by offering us sweets and home cooked food whenever we are visiting with them. Grandmothers always do their best to make sure that their grandkids don’t leave them hungry. Grandmothers have so much pride and joy for their grandkids. They are always boasting to others about how wonderful their grandkids are and what they are doing in life. Grandmothers are also there to tell us about our own parents when they were our age. Grandmothers have some interesting stories about our parents and they would be happy to tell you about those stories and to reassure you that your parents acted in many of the same ways you do.
Grandmothers are also there to guide us and gives us wisdom. They have been through more than we have and can offer some great advice for whatever we need. They can also help us see the world they grew up in their own eyes. My favorite stories revolve around when my Grandma or my Nana tell me stories about falling in love with my Grandpa or my Pepa. These stories I hold closest to my heart because I can see the amount of love they have in their hearts from the look in their eyes and the way they tell their love story. It’s inspiring and makes me appreciate my grandparents’ relationships even more than I already do. Our grandmothers lived in a different time than we currently do and it’s fascinating to see how they grew up and how the world use to be. We are able to see how and why their personalities or lives are the way they are now.
Grandmothers are also able to pass along traditions to us, such as holiday festivities, certain sayings or just the way we do anything in our lives. I know for my family, the expression “I love you a big, big lot,” has been passed down from my Grandmother to my oldest brother and his wife, who now use this expression. Those traditions will live on through generations as we pass them on to our children and grandchildren.
Grandmothers are also there to teach us new skills that they have perfected. For me, I remember when I was little, my grandma would try and teach me how to draw. I was absolutely terrible at it, and still, am, but her passion for drawing and anything art related made me want to try harder. She would walk me step-by-step through a drawing while teaching me many techniques that she uses.
I think Karen Mortensen says it best through her poem A Grandmother’s Love:
As children, we can't comprehend or fully realize the meaning of a grandmother's love. How wise she is, how much patience she has, or how much guidance she gives us by her example and by her helpful caring ways. Years go by before we know and understand the depth of her concern and the love in her protectiveness. But as we mature we do finally understand and we can look back and see through older eyes and wiser hearts her unconditional love, devotion, and family loyalty. It's these and many other things that make us realize how lucky we have been and how lucky we are to have this amazing woman - our grandmother - as the centered root of strength and love in our life.
Just don’t forget how blessed you are with the grandmothers you have or have in heaven. They are a blessing from God and I am so thankful for the two I have!
