A grandparent’s love

My beloved grandmother Sylvia

Over the past Christmas holiday, I had the chance to spend some time with my 82-year-old paternal grandmother. Although she recently had two knee surgeries, she can still get around without a walker or a cane.

My grandmother is the only grandparent I have left. Both of my grandfathers and my other grandmother passed away several years ago. We spent most of our visit discussing the past.

I know life has been hard for her since my grandfather passed away in 1998. My grandfather was a wonderful person. He was a former Navy pilot who served in the Korean War and World War two. He was a kind hearted gentleman who never said a bad word about anyone.

My paternal grandparents were teen sweethearts and spent their entire adult lives together. My grandmother told me how much she misses him. She told me how she once took a train to Los Angeles to meet him after they were married. She didn’t find him right away because his ship was still out.

She sat and waited for him at a local park; he eventually found her. My grandmother said it was 1946 and she remembers that warm day in the park as if it were yesterday.

We also discussed memories of our family reunions. As a child, I always enjoyed our reunions. They gave me a chance to talk to all my cousins, aunts, and uncles.

Over the years, I have lost touch with most of my relatives because we no longer have family reunions. Thinking back, I can still remember seeing family members eating, drinking, laughing and telling stories.

As I have grown older, I finally understand what it means when people say time is fleeting. It means that life goes by too fast and we can’t slow it down. I wish I had a time machine. If I did, I could go back into the past and all of my deceased aunts and uncles would still be alive.

My grandmother and her older sister are the only senior family members left from our reunion days.

I know one day my grandmother will eventually leave this world to be reunited with my grandfather…the only man she has ever loved. Although she doesn’t say it, I think she looks forward to her final day.

If your grandparents are still alive, take some time and talk to them. Once they are gone, their memories of the “good old days” will go with them. Not only do they represent our past, they are the reason why we have a future.