I’d be duping you if I didn’t start off by saying that this may just be the most biased blog anyone has ever written. I have been blessed enough to grow up with all four of my grandparents living within an hour from me—my Mum Mum & Pop Pop living a short drive away, and my Gram and Granddad a mere block from me. As a kid I spent more time at their house than my own, and I never doubted that I’d see them more often than not.
Both of my Grandfathers are war vets and possibly the two most generous people on earth. They love my grandmothers fiercely and remind me every day that being old school isn’t as bad as today’s generation makes it out to be. They’re chivalrous and kind, and somehow found two of the best women to spend their lives with.
Whenever I spend time with one of my grandmothers, I often feel the urge to go door to door in America and introduce them to as many people as I can. Everyone should meet them, because they will change the way you view people. They are humble and confident. Godly and accepting. Gentle and brave. They are everything women ought to be, and I can only hope to grow up something like them.
Given that I’ve lived my entire life with this sort of phenomenon, I admit that I’ve taken these people for granted more often than not. If I could figure out the world’s greatest way of saying thank you; I would do it for them, twice. Maybe three times. But even then, it wouldn’t be enough. How do you express gratitude to people for basically just being who they are? Given that who they are is every synonym of amazing and remarkable. Well, if you know the answer to that, then I’ll buy you a cup of coffee. But for me, I’d like to reverse these 10 everyday acts of compassion I forget to thank them for, and make a change. I’m starting with the man in the mirror.
10. Handwriting their notes.
E-cards are sweet, and the Facebook messenger app is growing on me; but there’s nothing like getting a real, hand-written card from Gram in mail come April. Easter stickers and all. You’re never too old for Easter stickers.
9. Never refusing a hug.
I could ask my Mum Mum to stand there and hug me all day, and she would.
8. Winking.
Is it just me, or do people not wink anymore? That’s sad, because when my Granddad shoots me a wink from across the dinner table, I think my heart actually melts to my toes.
7. Making you feel 8 again.
My older brother might be twice as tall as my Pop Pop, but when Pop Pop shakes his hand and asks him to do him a favor, my body building brother doesn’t waste a second in responding “Yes sir.” And then we’re 8 again, and the world doesn’t seem so complicated.
6. Calling you on your birthday.
Everyone in the world could forget my birthday, but as long as Gram and Granddad call and sing to me, I’ll be just fine.
5. Making the world’s best cookies.
Pinterest ain’t got nothing on Gram’s home-made chocolate chip.
4. Always being excited to see you.
This past summer my cousin got married, and my family stayed together in a condo for five days. Every morning when I woke up and made my entrance, my Mum Mum and Pop Pop were just as excited to see me as the first day we got there. Why can’t we all be like that?
3. Believing you can do anything.
Every time a commercial comes on TV, my Granddad will say—“Hey, you could do that.” And shoots me a wink, of course.
2. Giving the best advice.
Gram will sometimes ask me, “Will it matter a year from now?” And most of the time, the answer is no. When I lose sight of the bigger picture, she knows just how to remind me of what’s important.
1. Praying for you.
There are very few people in today’s world who will openly admit that they are often praying for you. Every night when I go to sleep, I know that four of the world’s most special people are doing just that for me. And that’s just one of those things that can’t be ‘thanked’, but I’ll be returning the favor for the rest of my life.
welcome home 