Yesterday I watched a film about a girl who was brought up by her grandmother after losing her parents and it jogged my memory. I remembered those days in my childhood that I used to spend with my precious granny in her countryside house.
All of a sudden it all came back to me.
The smell of freshly baked cookies, her silhouette standing at the stove in the kitchen cooking. Her long grey hair she would wear in a bun during the day. Her rough dry hands and soft voice that tickled my ears while she was reading a bedtime story. Something I don’t remember my parents ever did.
I also remember her sitting in a rocking chair in her room solving a crossword and listening to an LP record. She had a whole pile of them just next to her bed. She never got used to the tape recorder. She said she preferred those old fashion records. They reminded her of the time when she was young and pretty. And of the dances in the local dance halls she would often attend…
And sometimes when no one was watching she smoked a cigarette. Maybe it was another ritual that reminded her of her youth as she had officially quit smoking in 1956.
Oh sweet memories!
But the memories and the nostalgia aren’t the only reasons why I still love my grandma so much.
She was an amazing woman. My best friend in childhood, the lady who had the warmest hug, my second mother. Someone I could always confide in.
There’s no other woman who could compare to her and these are just a few of the reasons why. Yesterday as I was looking at our photos I came up with an endless list of things that make her so important for me.
Below I’ve outlined 7 of them. I’m sure that you too would agree with me that these things make every grandmother a special person in her grandchildren’s life
1. Cook the best meals
Most grandmas cook amazing meals, especially if they do them for their grandchildren. These old ladies know recipes passed down from their mothers and grandmothers and can tell what ingredient to use for almost every meal on earth.
2. She can clean a mess like no one else
You know your mother will be mad at you because your room is a total mess. But your grandma can save the day. She knows how to take an ink stain out of a white shirt, and she’ll guide you through cleaning up your room. She knows what to do to make your bed in a sec. And put your scattered stuff in their place for just a few minutes.
3. She’s a woman with style
My grandma was a woman who knew how to dress. She sometimes showed me her old clothes that didn’t fit her. Yes, they were old fashioned but so stylish at the same time! The colors, the models, the fabric. She had a flair for making people look beautiful. That’s why she taught me how to combine the colors of my clothes. And what kind of dresses suit my body. She showed me how to walk with grace and behave like a lady. She was my first dance teacher too. She taught me so many things my mother never did.
4. Always there for you and the family
There was no way to stop my grandma from cleaning the table after a family lunch. Actually, she was the person who prepare most of the food for it tas well. No matter how much we told her to relax, grandma always wanted to help.
And her help wasn’t limited to doing the housework. She was always there when we needed her. I remember that once my mom got pneumonia. Grandma stayed by her bed day and night until she recovered completely. As for me, she had given me the wisest pieces of advice in my life.
5. She would listen to you
She would always listen to me. Whatever I needed to tell her she was ready to listen. She would never interrupt me or show that she was annoyed with what I had to tell her. She would always have a warm shoulder that I could cry on when I was sad and weak. And would patiently wait for me to stop crying. Then tell me what she thinks I have to do to solve my problems.
6. She spoils her grandchildren
Grandmas would do everything for their beloved grandchildren. Either it’s cooking their favorite meal late at night or buying his/her favorite toy for Christmas, they’ll do what you ask them to. And that won’t change with time. Even when you’re an adult she would be happy to do anything to make you happy.
7. She loves you even more than her children
Grandmas love their grandchildren to the moon and back – sometimes even more than they love their own children. There’s nothing that she wouldn’t do to see her grandchildren happy. Her love is strong, pure and unconditional and we could only compare it to a mother’s love.
I lost my grandma shortly after I graduated from high school. Sadly, she didn’t live to come to my wedding and see my children. But every day (no matter how crazy it may sound) I feel she’s here. Most probably I never really accepted the fact she was gone for good. Sometimes I see her in my dreams. She comes and kisses me goodnight as she used to do when I was a kid or we’re dancing to a song on one of her LP records.
Although she’s no longer with me, I keep the memory of her, her lessons and her unconditional love alive. And hope that one day when I grow old I I’ll be a good example for my grandchildren just as my grandmother was for me.
I also hope that all people whose grandmothers are still alive, appreciate them the way they should as there’s no other woman who could compare to a loving and caring grandmother.
Would you like to share with us in the comments your memories with your grandma?