Grandma and Me

Today marks the last day of Blogtember.  Even though I only participated in a few of the prompts, I figured why not bring it home on this last day.  Jenni had some really wonderful prompts this month which have helped me to develop more thoughtful posts and convey more intimate details about my life.  Today's prompt was no different.

Monday, September 30: Share a photo of something old. Maybe something that has personal history for you, that was passed down to you, and that has special meaning to you. Tell us about it and why it's special.

A few months ago when Danny and I moved into our house, my parents were quick to drive up here to drop off all of my childhood memories.  As interesting as a lot of them were, I loved looking at pictures from when I was really little, like moments that I was too little to remember.  In a stack of photos that were hung on a cork board in my room at my parents house, I found a photo of me and my grandma.  It was just not any photo of us, but a candid shot in the middle of one of life's wonderful moments.

I always like to think that me and my grandmother would have become the best of friends, that is if I was lucky enough to get to know her into adulthood.  She passed away when I was just four years old.  Weirdly enough, she was the last grandparent of mine to pass away.  The other three, I barely knew and didn't even remembered.  It's not that I remember my grandma, but I feel the closest with her from the stories that live on through my family.  My mom throughout my life reminded me that I was a lot like her.  My grandma always loved painting her nails, getting her makeup done, and buying jewelry to match every outfit.  For Christmas a few years ago, my mom gave me the precious gift of my grandma's jewelry chest with all of her original pieces still in it.  I still cherish it today and it makes me feel connected to her.

My grandma was also sort of a rebel.  She liked to smoke and drink which were some of the reasons why she did not live very long, but being raised in a household where alcohol was never around, I always thought we would get along especially the days I spent in college.

My grandma also attended the same university that I graduated from, but she only went for a quarter, which was rare enough back in the 1960s for a woman.  My parents were nervous for me to venture out at a big university especially that was known for its partying, but I think my grandma would have been proud of the choices I made and the woman I had become.

This picture represents a lot for me.  It reminds me that I always had a good time with her when she was alive. It makes me realize that I wish I would have known what it would have been like to have a grandma that was just like me.  I think a lot of people take advantage of the things that they don't realize others go their whole life without having and I would give anything to sit down with my grandma for just one day to learn about her life.  I miss her so much even though I never got to know her or got to talk to her, but one thing that I know is that she lives with me and that her memory will live on in my life, because she is a part of me.