Grandparents are the world’s greatest treasure. Their love is something so rare. No one can compare to how they treat you. They spoil you rotten just to make sure that you know their love is unconditional. They are there to pick you up when mom and dad say no and most importantly they always have the biggest smile on their face when you get out of the car to see them.
Growing up, God blessed me with two wonderful people as my grandparents. I called them Grandmother and Granddad. Man, they were so great to me.
Grandmother was the cook of the house. She hardly let anyone help her except for her grandkids. I remember my brothers and cousins getting so bored helping her, but I was so intrigued at how talented she was. I was a little too short to see over the counter so she had this brown step stool that she would pull up just so I could see what she was doing. Eventually, as I got older she would let me help more often. One day when I showed up to help she had this red little apron just for me to wear. I was so official, I was a big girl. I got to wear an apron just like Grandmother did, and I knew then how much she loved me.
Another thing that Grandmother was great at was reading me stories. Every time I would stay the night she would tuck me in tight and grab a Little Golden Book to read to me. The one I can remember her reading to me the most was The Ugly Duckling. After reading it to me she would always say, “Remember, you are a beautiful swan”. That has stuck with me to this day.
Now Granddad is a different story, he was the man of the house. He had responsibilities, but he was just like me. Going out to eat together was such a hassle because we had this little game to see how long we could pick on each other without getting in trouble. We would pinch each other and kick each other under the table and act like nothing was going on when someone would look at us. I can even remember his evil grin he would give me before he would attack.
Granddad wasn’t the type to show his love very often but I did know that he loved me. He showed it by visiting me when I got my tonsils out. Even though I couldn’t talk he got me ice cream and taught me how to play tic-tac-toe. He showed it by cheering me on at my little league basketball and softball games, when I was running down the court or going up to bat. I could always hear his voice out of the crowd and I knew then how much he loved me.
Growing up with Grandmother and Granddad in my life gave me a great childhood to remember, but I lost them too soon.
When I was little I could remember Granddad forgetting little pieces of information but I never really thought anything about it. All I knew was that he had Alzheimer’s, but to me he was still my Granddad. It wasn’t until I entered Jr. High that I really understood what Alzheimer's really was. We went to visit him and he didn’t remember me anymore, he didn’t know my name, and when he looked at me it was like I was a stranger. It killed me because I lost him. Not long after that Grandmother got it too but hers was different. She still remembered everyone and knew where she was, but she couldn’t remember words. So it was tough for her to talk and very frustrating for her too. Soon she talked less and less. One day we got a call saying that she had fell and broke her hip. When we went to see her she couldn’t talk or say any words. Her recovery changed her. She soon started to forget everyone and where she was. She started to change and not long after I lost her too.
I lost my grandparents before they left this world. As I entered high school I didn’t have them sitting in the stands cheering me on at my games. They weren’t there to see me get awards. I couldn’t call them up to talk to them and see how they are doing. I couldn’t take them out to eat lunch with me, but I knew they were okay in their own new world at the nursing home.
One great thing God did for me through all of this was taking Granddad to Heaven the night before I graduated high school. I was pretty upset that my grandparents wouldn’t be there to see me walk the stage, but Granddad did. That’s something I get to hold onto forever, nobody can take that away from me.
It’s not easy watching someone you know and love forget who you are or where you came from. Alzheimer’s is something that can’t be cured and many people struggle to watch their loved ones change. There is one thing that I get to hold onto and that is the memories that they gave me. No matter what I’ll always have Grandmother and Granddad in my heart.
