Where do I start? There are so many.
My grandparents loved my sister and I more than life.
When Rhonda and I were children, they kept us and cared for us whenever they could. When my parents would go on vacation, we would stay with Grandma and Grandpa.
During those times, when I was restless and missing my parents during the night, sometimes my grandmother would find me pacing around the house in my sleep, mumbling to myself. Did she just take me back to bed and leave me there? Not my grandma. She paced with me, to make sure that I wouldn�t run into something and hurt myself. She would talk to me, and tell me that everything was ok. She would walk around and around with me until I was ready to lay back down, and then even though I would continue asleep, she would keep one ear open for me the rest of the night, just incase I decided to walk again. She was so afraid that I would end up taking that walk down the street, instead of around the living room�.
In the morning she would put porridge on the stove. As Rhonda and I waited for breakfast, grandma would send us in to wake up grandpa. We would giggle and run into their bedroom to give grandpa the mad nose tickle. As we tickled his nose, he would snort loudly and make waking up a huge production, which of course, caused squeals of delight and laughter from my sister and I. We would run from the bedroom and await our grandpa for the start of our porridge-eating contest. As fast as we ate, we never could eat that darn porridge as fast as our grandpa. (of course, his spoon was twice as large as ours� )
Another thing he enjoyed beating us at�.the dreaded game of Rummy. He taught us how to play, which means that he also knew how to play to win. He knew our every move. He would tell us to throw away all of our high cards because they count for higher points, which was bad when the other person called Rummy first. We�d throw away all of our high cards, and face cards�..HE would collect them. He always won. And that was ok because the sound of his laughter was soothing to the soul. His happiness was infectious. He was one of my best friends�I don�t think that I could have loved him more if I had tried.
Our summers out at Pine Lake were equally as special. As luck had it, we were able to have a trailer at the lake just a few short steps from our grandparent�s trailer.
Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed taking us fishing almost every day. They taught us how to cast our own lines, and even taught us how to bait our own hooks with those ucky little squirmy guys. We would always come back with a whole 5-gallon pail full of perch. Grandpa would fillet them, and wouldn�t miss one single bone. Grandma would batter them and cook them up quick as you please. MMmmmm�they were sure tasty.
Joey, Eli, and Rhonda
When the campground put in an arcade, I was at the perfect age to want to be in it all day everyday�along with my sister, and our best friends Lori, Pam and Tara. Most kids have trouble finding arcade money. Not us. Run to Grandma and Grandpa�s trailer�give grandpa a kiss, and that kiss was worth a quarter!!! 4 kisses and we�d have a whole dollar to play with!! We could make a 1000 trips between their trailer and that arcade, didn�t matter�he would pay us for every kiss.
Sadly, when I was just 11 years old, my grandpa passed suddenly at that same lake that we all loved so dearly.
It changed life for all of us�I have never again fished on that lake, and somehow, for me personally, the whole place lost its charm forever.
Of course, the changes hit more profoundly for my grandmother.
She had relied on him for everything. Companionship, transportation�everything.
At first she seemed content to stay in the house she had shared with her husband for so many years, but it was just too far away from the rest of the family. She spent countless hours watching out the window, searching for something interesting to liven up her day. Then finally one day my father and uncle bought her a house just a few steps from their Yamaha shop, and her life changed again. Quite often, she would make lunch for the whole staff and treat all the Yamaha men to her yummy egg sandwiches, or maybe some of her wonderful German food. I know that all those fellows felt extremely spoiled when she would show up shortly before noon. She loved doting on everyone.
When I was around 12 years old, I got very ill. Must have been some kind of flu, all I know is that it was nasty, whatever it was. I was burning up and hallucinating. My mother wanted to care for me, but was unable to stay with me due to her full-time employment. Oh how my grandmother doted on me. I was seeing things, and talking crazy. She took it all in stride and kept a cold wet cloth on my forehead re-wetting it as soon as it wasn�t cold anymore. She must have made 1000 trips to and from her sink during those days. I�ll never forget the love I felt.
Until the day she moved into her small apartment, her house was always the gathering point for us, her family, for special occasions. At Christmas, Thanksgiving and countless other holidays, she would cook up a turkey and her famous stuffing along with her incredible lemon meringue pie for dessert. Personally, I always waddled away from these meals instead of walking away from them.
There was a time when I went to her house every week, only to be spoiled by her with sandwiches and that wonderful German food. We would sit and watch The Young and the Restless together before supper, and I was not allowed to speak, unless of course it was on a commercial� . I�m not sure how many years she watched that show, but she never missed a day.
Although my heart aches to be able to talk with her just one more time, I take solace in the fact that I believe that after 20 years, she is finally with my grandpa once again.
If I tried to write all of my special memories�I�d be sitting here for a year. My grandparents were special (and sometimes crazy) people� I will ALWAYS miss them with all of my heart.
I love you Grandma and Grandpa.
