How’s your day been going?
Mine? Busy.
But not too busy for a sentimental trip down memory lane. Grab the Kleenex box.
Time for Day 28 of the Challenge – Something/Someone That I Miss
Something/Someone That I Miss
I miss my Grandma. She has been gone about 10 years now. I will try to paint a picture with words of this woman for you since I have no digital photographs of her.
She was at her peak, about 5’0′ tall and by the time she was 90 when she died, probably about 4’8″. I am almost 5’11” so I was taller than my grandma from the time I was a little girl, about the fourth grade or so. I loved the day I passed her up in height, and my mom, too. My grandma was short in stature, but was the biggest giver and had the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known.
She would give you the shirt off her back, or cook or feed anyone and everyone. She worked at her Catholic parish serving funeral luncheons, retirement luncheons, working rummage sales, fundraisers, you name it, and she did it for for over 50 years. Yes, she belonged to the same parish for over 50 years. That’s the last of a dying breed.
She walked to 7am Mass every morning. Even in brutal Minnesota winters with -40F windchills, Grandma walked to Mass. It was about a mile each way. And she did it up until just a few years before she died. She only drove for a few years of her life. And by about 1950, never had a driver’s license.
She walked everywhere. She always said that walking kept her young. I agree whole-heartedly. She never “worked out” a day in her life. She lived her life, and that included lots of walking, and exercise was a by-product of living.
She loved life. She never complained. She believed in all that was good and right about the world. She was not cynical, jaded, and did not have a mean bone in her body.
She believed in God and had a faith stronger than anyone I have ever known. She didn’t need to talk about it, either. Just being in her presence, you knew this woman had strong convictions and didn’t need to evangelize or proselytize.
She loved all babies and children in a deep, reverent, spiritual way, and believed that they were truly a gift from God.
I attribute my psychic tendencies and abilities to my Grandma. In today’s terms, one may call her a medium. To me, she was just Grandma. But she could sense, know, predict, and foreshadow things and events. I know this is who I got my abilities from.
And this woman could cook. And she cooked without recipes. And to top it off, she was legally blind the last 20 years of her life. So not only was she cooking without recipes, she was cooking without much of her sight and truly cooked by feel.
Her savory dishes were referred to as “Polish Soul Food” as she called it. Russian and Polish-inspired food like piergoies and dumplings, cabbage, and always lots of homemade chicken noodle soup. Those are the savory smells of my grandma’s kitchen that are etched in my memory forever.
But the sweet smells are what my Grandmas was known for.
Bread. She baked bread without a recipe. Loaves of bread from wheat to banana.
My attempt at Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread with PB
But no one could ever duplicate my grandma’s banana bread or chocolate chip cookies. And since she cooked without a recipe, much of it is lost forever. I talked about this here.
…and my Vegan GF No Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
…will never hold a candle to anything she made. Or my memories of them.
After she died, we found cans of Folgers Coffee in her deep freeze and they had batches of chocolate chip cookies in them. All little old ladies who survived the Great Depression have deep freezes and massive food stashes, I think.
The childhood memories I have of being with her, of riding the city bus with her and going shopping, of her coming to stay at our house for a week or so at a time, of her loving me unconditionally and doing anything she could to make me happy and make my life better and happier, those memories are so cherished and so profound.
The only recipe of her that I have blogged about is her Special K Bars. I am so grateful to even have that recipe.
I miss you, Grandma!
Kleenex break for me.
Okay…done.
If you missed my other Challenge Posts, so far there is:
Day 2 – Where I’d like to be in 10 years
Day 6 – 10 Facts
Day 21 – Favorite Shows
Day 26 – What kind of person attracts you
From my last post about Tackling Tuesday, it was fun to hear what you tackled and it seems we all love that feeling of being productive. All the time. A blessing and a curse, no doubt.
Questions:
1. What is someone/something that you miss?
2. Do you have special memories of your grandparents?
Please share!
See you later, gang!
Averie, what a great post. I dearly miss my grandmother and my great-grandmother. My dad’s mom was a spunky lady. I would give anything had she lived to see my niece & nephew. I also miss my friend who was killed. She had such vibrancy about her.
so i guess you are a replication of your grandmother…you’re also truly kind and you have a very big heart…and i see the goodness emanate from each and every photograph of you!
i definitely had tears in my eyes when i read this…
sending you love and hugs…
<3
awww, thank you, nelly!
xoxo
Oh wow, this is beautiful. I even started tearing up. Your love and admiration for her is so apparent in your words. A wonderful tribute.
I’m finding myself missing my grandfather these days… He died two years ago and although we always had a somewhat formal relationship, I find myself feeling closer to him lately. He (and my grandmother, who died when I was 5) lived an upper-crust, NYC high society life that was very different than my own. Visiting them as a kid and having tea at their place was always a thrill! He was a consummate gentleman, impeccibly dressed, and more socially graceful than I’ll ever be. He wrote letters and birthday cards on engraved stationary in his beautiful script that I saved and still have today.
I’ll miss my grandfather so much when he goes. He’s in amazing shape for his age (nearly 91 and still bikes and walks and boats), so hopefully he’ll be around for another ten years or so…I’d love for my kids to meet their great-grandpa. He treats EVERYONE he meets with so much respect. Like, he’ll go out of his way to talk to a waitress about her life, and he knows his trash men’s names. He loves to dance like no one’s business. He sang God Bless America at my brother’s wedding. And even after nearly 70 years of marriage, he still loves my grandma more than anything in the world and holds her hand and calls her his “little girl.” He’s amazing :)
That reminds me how much I miss my grandpa:( He is the only family member I have ever lost, and he was the sweetest, most soft-spoken man I have ever known. Thank you for sharing your story, love dove!
You know, my grandmother is 82 and in tip tip shape. She doesn’t live where it’s cold, but she still goes to Mass everyday :)
Something I miss…being a kid!!!!!!!! Now I have three daughters ages (almost) 8 and under.
Special memory of my grandparents? My grandfather would explain EVERYTHING in detail. He was that person who knew everything about everything….and wasn’t afraid to explain it to you :)
Awe, Grandma…ya gotta love her. She sounds like an incredible force that will always live through you. I love this post Averie! I have been thinking about my Little Granny (that’s what I call her). She is not doing well and I miss her so much. She sounds a lot like your Grandma…height, cooking, giving…it is so weird you posted on this since I have really been thinking so much about mine. Much love your way and thank you for sharing this. I think it is so important to focus on the good in our lives and she put so much good in yours.
What a beautiful post! I am so lucky that both of my grandmothers are still alive. They are both remarkable strong women. Have a great day hon!
xoxo
What a great post! Your grandmother sounds like an amazing lady :)
I definitely miss my grandmother – I’m nicknamed after her, and people say I look like her when she was in her twenties.
oh what a great post. I can tell your grandma was an amazing woman. A beautiful spirit! I know you inherited that from her.
:)
What a beautiful tribute. I bet your Grandma was and is very proud of you Averie. What a blessing to have the special people in our lives- far better than any material comfort or “thing”. Your post stirs up a lot of feelings about my Uncle Tommy who passed away 15 years ago this month. He was a good man and the closest thing to a father I had growing up. Thanks for this post Averie. I always enjoy your attitude of sensitivity and appreciation.
thank you for saying this: “I always enjoy your attitude of sensitivity and appreciation.”
thank you for verbalizing what you have noticed…that means a lot to me :)
This is such a sweet post:)
I miss my uncle, who was practically my father as I grew up and my grams (what we called my grandma) passed 2 yrs ago…She use to make me her beef stew-minus the beef:)
Your grandma sounds a lot like mine. She was a tiny woman, but full of life. Walked everywhere, never missed Mass. She taught me to cook and bake and I never measure anything because she never measured anything. It drives people crazy when they want a recipe of mine and the instructions are something like “add enough flour for cookie dough consistency.” I cook and bake on a daily basis, but I don’t even own measuring spoons. Her favorite thing was feeding people good food, and it’s one of my favorite things too.
The person I miss the most is my mom. She died way too soon, and especially with raising young children, I really miss having her advice and her wisdom and her friendship.
oh, what a heartfelt and beautiful tribute to your grandma, averie. she sounds like an amazing woman. i am so happy you got to know her, and that she made such an impact on your life. thanks so much for sharing.
i miss my grandparents, too. grandparents give love like no one else. haha, after my great-grandma died, we found money stashed in odd places…just like your gram and the folgers tin in the freezer! i agree with your grandma – walk everywhere, any weather, as much as possible – such a healthy lifestyle choice.
thanks for tackling this challenge today. loved reading about such a special lady.
Aww this is SO lovely! Your grandma sounds like an amazing and inspirational woman, and from the sound of it, you take after her in so many ways :)
I miss my uncle, who died suddenly from a heart attack just before Christmas, aged just 45 :( He was absolutely hilarious, an inspiration to me (he was a runner too) and was unbelievably generous. I miss him too…now I need a Kleenex break! :P