If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know that most of my posts tend to be witty that boarder on sarcastic with a little reflection sprinkled in now and then. And quite honestly, I haven't written many in while. It's not that I don't have anything to say...we ALL know I always have something to say whether I should or not! It's just that I don't seem to have the time to sit down and write lately. One of those reasons is I spend a lot of my spare time hanging out/visiting/thinking about grandkids! In fact, one might even say I'm obsessed with them. And, I'm okay with that. You see, I never knew such a strong, unconditional, take your breath away kind of love existed until I married their PaPa and became Grandma Neese. So, now these days, my attentions are focused less on the biting observations and instead on the perils and joys of grandparenthood. (Not a real word, but that's okay!)
The past week had some high points, some low points, and things in between. This weekend I had time to reflect on many things. One question that came to mind was 'what kind of grandma am I?' What is my purpose in my grandchildren's lives? I spent some time thinking about my own grandmothers, my friends who are grandmothers, and stereotypes of grandmothers. What I realized is that all grandmothers have a purpose and what I like to call the "grandma superpower."
Let's take my Grandma Koenig for instance. Her superpower was domestication. She was a Mayberry FRD Aunt Bee kind of girl. My grandmother could cook and sew like no other. Even though I was a certified tomboy, she would make me dress after dress. I wasn't much of a girly girl, but I wore them until I developed my own style. Most of those dresses were frilly and polka dotted! The one I remember the most was a yellow swiss dot ruffled creation. It had a beautiful yellow sash with a matching hair bow. White patent shoes and ruffled socks completed the outfit. And Bonnie Koenig could cook! Oh my! My favorite memory of my grandmother is molasses cookies. They are my favorite. Every time I went to her house she would have the dough chilling in the fridge. She and I would bake them together. The smell of baking molasses cookies was and still is a comforting aroma for me. My grandma would use cooking as a way to distract me from my parents' divorce, my new blended family, my woes with friends and any other pre-teen drama. I knew that I could go to her whenever I had a problem. She may not be able to solve it, but she listened and made sure I knew I was loved.
Then there is Grandma Hershberger. Her superpower was adventure. Along with my Aunties Joyce, Joanne and Cheryl, they provided us with so many opportunities to see the world whether it was through vacations, books, outings or scavenger hunts. When my parents divorced, all 4 of these strong, independent women took it upon themselves to provide my brothers and I with experiences. They took us on our first airplane ride. They took us to the mountains, the beaches, the caverns, the amusement parks and the countryside. They educated us on the history of the United States. They made sure we had the same opportunities that other kids did. But the biggest adventure my grandmother ever took me on was in every book I've ever read. You see Carrie Hershberger passed her love of books onto me. Through her passion, I found solace in books in hard times. I have found strength during low times. I have found humor in good times. I have found the Lord in trying times. I have found reasoning skills in Nancy Drew. I have found myself in books. Just about every book I've read, I was able to find a little bit about myself in them.
All of this made me ponder my grandma skills. What is my superpower? It took me a while to figure it out. I know that I want to be the grandma that always puts their needs first. I want to be the grandma that is always helping them to learn and grow. I want to be the grandma that they will always be comfortable coming to during good and bad times. I want to be the grandma that lights up their faces when I walk into the room. So, I hope that my superpower is encouragement. I want to encourage them to always believe in themselves. I want to encourage them to try different things. I want to encourage them to be empathetic to others. I want to encourage them to be the best persons they can be.
It sounds like a tall order, and it is. I take grandparenting seriously. When I look at Bryn, Macie, Graeme, Lukas and Lily, I see little people who need their grandparents to share their superpowers with them. They definitely can't count on just one grandparent to give them everything they need because we all excel at different things. Each grandparent has a special purpose in their lives. I know that each of my grandparents enriched my life in different ways. So, tonight sit back and think about your grandma or grandpa super power. What do you bring into your grandchild's life? What did your grandparents bring into yours?
And Jordan and Shanna, I hope you have great memories of Grandma Joyce. What was her superpower? What will you always remember her by? May her superpowers sustain you as you learn to live life with only your memories.
Make Everyday Count
Denise
