My Grandparents

Next Sunday afternoon my grandfather asked me to come plant flowers and tomato plants in his yard. I think it is an excuse to get me to come over, not that I need one. My mom, his neighbor, he himself can all do the work that needs to be done,but he asked me- so I am, of course, going.

I'm going to throw the kids in the car, and hopefully get Paul to take a small road trip back to the south suburbs to see my grandparents. My grandfather is fiesty, and too honest and sometimes even mean, but he is a pillar of strength and the backbone of the family.

I want Jake and Hailee to remember running around the garden, chasing each other. I want them to see the tomatoes, lettuce and whatever else we plant, grow- just like Ryan and I did. Ryan and I spent alot of time at my grandparents house. We played baseball in the living room, ate chicken soup on the couch when we were sick, slept on the same old blue couch, we sit on now. We ran around and through the garden over and over again.

One of my fondest childhood memories is jumping off the railing on the porch into my grandfather's lap over and over again. I don't remember him yelling at me to stop, but being the 100% Italian that he is,I'm sure he yelled alot. I do remember my grandmother yelling at my grandfather for yelling at us. She was the guard, the angel. The person we could do no wrong with!

My grandmother would always walk Ryan and I to school everyday and then go take care of one of her really sick friends, Mrs. Pomeroy. She did this everyday for years. Eventually her friend died, but I think that she taught Ryan and I compassion. Sometimes she would even drag us there, if Mrs. Pomeroy needed something done. She would visit Mrs. Pomeroy, cook, clean, talk, sing- what ever she need my grandmother would do. Now that my grandmother is older and fraile, I only hope that she takes as good as care of herself as she did Mrs. Pomeroy.

As a teenager, I remember being confused or upset about something- boys, school, who knows- and my grandfather was always there to make some sense of the world. My grandmother was always there with fresh baked cookies and some milk.

When my parents divorced, my grandfather really stepped up and became Dad. It wasn't a role that he wanted, but one that he accepted.

I want Jake and Hailee to remember my grandparents. Maybe not they way Ryan and I remember them- but make their own memories. There are few kids that are lucky enough to have great-grandparents and who knows how long we will be blessed to have them with us. So we will drive to plant tomato plants or plant flowers, or clean the kitchen- whatever excuse my grandfather comes up with, we will be there.