When Reality Knocks

I was fascinated by a newspaper picture from the Associated press this morning. It shows a seventy-five year old grandmother being put into a police wagon, arrested because she and 16 other grandmothers attempted to enter a U.S. Armed Forces Recruiting Station and enlist in place of soldiers currently deployed in Iraq. In the picture, a policewoman is passing her walker into her. Whether you are for the war or not, you have to admire this gutsy move by these old ladies. How marvelous that these grandmothers are so concerned for the troops in Iraq that they would go to the effort to make this statement. The picture got me to thinking how much we owe to grandmothers, and other actual or stand-in relatives.

I didn’t know my father’s mother at all. I do remember that she made the most scrumptious huge molasses cookies. She died when I was about 5 years old. Perhaps the cookies were huge because they were held in a tiny five year old hand, but I remember them very fondly. Father’s brother, my uncle, was a second father and very loving. I remember him fondly as well.

On my mother’s side was a large family, all very connected and supportive of us. My grandmother especially was wonderful to me and I remember her with great affection. Her apple pies were to die for. She was very loving and understanding of us children.

All those people, my fathers and mothers families, are all gone. I am left with my cousins and siblings, and my world seems poorer for their loss. Some of those people knew I cared deeply for them and some I tended to neglect somewhat. I wish they were here to thank for their kindness and love.

Do you have people, parents, uncles and aunts, neighbors, special leaders or teachers and most especially grandmothers that you have never told how much they mean to you and how much they have influenced your life. They would deeply appreciate hearing those words from you. Why not send them a letter, or tell them in person. It will make their day.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 23rd, 2005 at 10:33 pm and is filed under Personal Growth, Hearts and Minds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.