Grandma Minks here! Full of pride and honor that Mama Minks offered me the opportunity to contribute to her blog.
I use to be nervous about getting OLD. Recently I’m noticing more fine lines, (ok let’s be honest, they’re well beyond fine lines!) and aging bones that require me to move a little (sometimes a lot) slower. But all of that is just on the surface. These changes are actually wonderful and the changes come with great rewards.
Like many Grandmas, I wear my title as a crown. I relate to this phase of my life, with a different set of eyes than those that brought me this far. These eyes see multifaceted “firsts”. Both within the experience of precious baby milestones themselves, and again with the heart bursting pride of watching my now adult children as parents experiencing the awe and wonder of their own mini humans.
I often think of my Grandma Josephine. She was the best influence of my life. She had a contagious laugh, she loved to play cards with me. She taught me about plants, and drawing, and basic embroidery. She always smelled good (“Chantilly Lace” powder and perfume on her bathroom windowsill) Gram worked hard but always made it fun when we did the work together. She took a genuine interest in me, asked a lot of questions during some of our talks, and always showed up for me at ballgames and school functions, in addition to birthdays and holidays. She would share tiny trinkets with me from her childhood and tell wonderful stories of her life at my age. Gram smiled. A lot. Especially when she was making homemade donuts, or other tasty treats for her family. Her hands were always busy. Her heart was always full.
Gram also told jokes and made funny phrases, that, to this day make me laugh when I think of them.
“Pardon the pig, the hog took a walk” – after a burp.
“Beans Beans the heavenly fruit. The more you eat the more you toot” – when anyone would “make wind”. 😆
As a kid these were hilarious to me. And while other families probably used similar silliness, my “real life” at home was definitely not one of those families.
Grandma use to tell me, “If you’re living life right, you will continue to learn something new everyday”. Somehow that always stuck with me, even before I fully understood what she meant.
I don’t know if my own parents understood the connection that I had with Gram, but I am thrilled that Mama and Daddy Minks understand and make an effort to encourage my close relationship with Stinky, and his Brother and Sister Minks. (And Doggy Minks!!) – not an easy task living 2 hours apart!
Being a Grandma brings more confidence and compassion and curiosity than I’ve known in my entire life. In this phase, I see things so differently as I discover the world around us, through my Grandkids perspective, and through the actions of Mama and Daddy Minks and how they make their family so secure. I feel myself soaking up the sights and sounds of their unconditional love for each other. And thanking God for the gift of being as important to them, as they are to me.
Know what else I’m learning? Those extra lines around the eyes and mouth…They come from creases that form from the extra long smiles that linger well beyond the last visit or phone call. I’ve also learned why God slowed down these bones in my older years… To let me walk slowly with the tiny hand that’s holding mine.
I strive to be the kind of Grandma that mine was. I realized I’m still learning from her too, even though she’s been gone for almost 40 years. Grandma Josephine was right. If you live your life right, you’ll learn something new everyday. I think the term in today’s society is “Living your best life”.
While I am forever blessed to be a Mom, and often miss the days of my babies being babies, I’m nowhere near the point of thinking my best years are behind me. I am also a Grandma, and the best is yet to come. 😘