The Thing About Grandmas: Passing It Down

If the excitement level of anticipating a grandchild is like this, can y'all imagine how off the charts I will be when Baby M actually arrives this summer?! I'm not sure y'all will be able to handle it if I don't tone it down. :)

All these anticipatory thoughts of becoming a grandmother for the first time have, not at all surprisingly, led me down the nostalgic path straight to my own grandmothers whom I loved dearly. I loved spending time with my grandparents and learned so much from them. Unconditional love being first and foremost.

I developed a love of reading from my dad's mother. She was the town librarian in our small town and I bet I read every single book in the children's section when I was coming along. I also developed a love for the color red from her. And a love of cardinals especially the vibrancy of their bold color against a backdrop of white snow. She also taught me to not compare my children with one another which I have never done and it is from her that I learned to appreciate the time spent with friends and family during game nights.

While I loved my dad's mother, I was closest with my mother's mother. Grandmother and I spent many weekends together and time during the summer as well. I most remember our time spent in the kitchen where Grandmother proved what an artist she was. And, while I might not be near the artist she was in the kitchen, I did receive understanding from her of the importance of the kitchen. A place for sharing words of wisdom. A place for singing. A place for telling secrets. A place for spending invaluable time with those we love.

I learned that:

• the bird whose singing sounds like it's saying, "Pretty girl, pretty girl," was singing to me.
• you follow the grain of the wood when dusting the furniture 
• flowers are beautiful and meant to be appreciated outside instead of cut and killed to be brought inside
• you can serve pimento cheese sandwiches with a silver tea service as long as you cut the bread into pretty shapes, without the crust
• the best places to shop are the little out of the way shops in small town America
• decorating the Christmas tree is the most fun thing EVER
• holidays are the best times of the year
• gardening is therapeutic
• there is always time to clean the house AFTER spending time with those you love
• you do for family
• peeling an apple without breaking the peel is so dang cool
• cooking from scratch is the only way and a recipe is nothing without your own special touches
• you have to do a wiggle dance to don a girdle
• 'putting up' food is a lot of hard work but well worth the effort
• bible verses hold truths
• humming old hymns in the kitchen is comforting
• nobody loves you like your grandmother does

Yes, the list goes on. But all these little things add up to so very much. When I think of becoming a grandmother this summer, it's a little bit scary. I've got some big shoes to fill. Perhaps I'll be able to channel my grandmothers once the baby arrives.

Or maybe, having these amazing women as grandmothers prepared me for this wonderful relationship more than I know. Actually, I'll be happy if I get anywhere close to their grandmothering abilities.

What did you learn from your grandmother?