If you’re a grandparent, you know that there is no greater joy than spending time with your little angels. Every second spent with them is a precious gift.
That’s why as a grandparent, you have to make every moment count. Perhaps you have special, made-up games that you play, and jokes that nobody else understands.
Whatever the tradition, the children always light up when they see you.
The following is a Daily Headline original. This story is proof that a grandmother’s love never dies.
Read the heartwarming tale below.
We knew Granny was here when we could smell her famous shortbread cookies crisping in the oven. It was always a surprise when she visited. She would just show up, unannounced, and take over the show.
We knew it was a Granny day as soon as we walked through the door after school. The smell of the freshly baked sugary treats came wafting through the hallway, and the aroma practically lifted us up off the floor from our shoelaces.
We threw down our backpacks and books and scampered into the kitchen, shouting “Granny’s here!”
“Hello my little Gooseberries!” said Granny as she turned from her workstation to give flour covered hugs. “Would you like to lick the beaters?” I saw my brother’s face light up as my mouth watered. Granny handed over two dough-covered beaters, one in each hand.
There was something about those cookies that couldn’t be explained. If you haven’t tasted them, well, you’ve never really tasted a bite of food in your life.
After we demolished our sweets down to the last morsel, Granny told us to “get your coats.” When we heard those magic words, we raced to the coat rack, and Granny grabbed her large leather satchel. We didn’t know where we were going today, but we couldn’t wait to get there.
As Granny pulled the mini-van into the YMCA parking lot, my heart sank. I knew what this meant. I was signed up to do swim team in the fall. But I didn’t know how to swim. I felt my lip quiver and my vision was clouded by oncoming tears. Granny took me by the hand and didn’t say a word. But as I looked into her robin’s egg eyes, I knew I could trust her.
Before I knew it, I was swimming in the deep end, without my floaties! Granny was there, right beside me shuffling along on the pool’s edge as I flutter kicked. In-between breaths I heard her shouting, “You can do it! You’re almost there! Just keep going!” Her words made me feel stronger, and I was.
The funny thing about life is, it doesn’t stop for anyone. In the blink of an eye, over a decade passed, and my brother and I were fully grown. Granny wasn’t quite herself anymore, so my brother and I were the ones who made the surprise visits. Except our visits weren’t really a surprise. Granny just couldn’t remember things like she used to.
When we came to visit Granny, neighbors stopped by to voice their concerns. Granny couldn’t remember where she was, they said, and on occasion, had gone into other houses, confusing them for her own.
It was time that we brought Granny home to live with us. My brother and I lived in a large, two story house, and Granny said she felt like she was in a palace. Granny’s only complaint was that she kept losing track of her room. I watched her futile attempts of trying to enter the pantry, mistaking it for her bedroom. Her look of dismay and confusion was heart-breaking.
But then I remembered something that Granny had told me long ago when I was feeling just as lost and frightened as she.
