grandparents

Becoming a grandparent makes getting older something to look forward to - all the fun of parenting, without the hassle.

Scratch It Off
Andrea fumbled blindly through her purse, pushing useless stuff aside. “Where is it?” she muttered to herself as she began pulling stuff out and placing it haphazardly on the counter. “I know it’s here.”
By Lilly Smith5 years ago in Families
The Speakeasy
Me and mom took on the daunting task of going through my great, great grandmother's stuff. She had recently passed and because it was so sudden she didn't leave a will. We honestly thought she was going to outlive us all, she was a very sturdy and heathy woman despite being over 100. Me and mom had to go through her stuff because our family didn't want to pitch in unless there was money involved. She wasn't a very rich woman but spoiled us with love and affection.
By Alexandra McCormick5 years ago in Families
The Pre-Spring Scavenger Hunt
Nineteen years in a row, Nikki participated in the city-wide “Pre-Spring Scavenger Hunt.” Nineteen years in a row, she had tracked all the clues and the answers to each clue. Nineteen years, she had won twelve minor prizes, including a pet rock, a necklace, and a gift certificate to the local book store. Her favorite prize though, was the first. The very first clue to the first annual Pre-Spring event took her to the stationery store, where she was awarded a Moleskine journal. It was a simple black notebook with ivory pages sewn in. The little black book was held together with a simple elastic band and had a ribbon to mark your page. Nikki decided right then and there that she would use this notebook to keep track of the rest of the clues, hoping it would help her win the $1000 grand prize that year.
By Tanya 5 years ago in Families
The Aroma Of Orchids
The garden was filled with a thousand heartaches. Grandpa always said people felt safe telling the flowers their secrets. His garden was wild, stretching into the woods behind his house, with hand-placed trails to keep the undergrowth safe. Signs were carefully pinned into place along every fork, marks for the unexpecting wanderer. When we had a day to ourselves, we would sneak into the woods, searching for plants we had never seen. I could remember him stopping to sniff every flower in the garden, sometimes picking petals or leaves from the tendrils of undergrowth. Everything he picked made its way into the teapot at the end of the day. It steamed away as we sat on the back porch, overlooking our wild hunting grounds.
By Kimeyth5 years ago in Families
Pop
Late afternoon sun slips between the plastic slats of the blinds, painting parallel lines in the room. The stripes melt over the edge of the mattress and land on the floor, getting wider and wider as they go. I sit on the bed, watching my grandfather. They moved him to the “rehabilitation center” today (it’s not a nursing home, everyone insists) after spending time in the hospital. I know this is a turning point in our lives. He won’t go home again.
By Paula J Peckham5 years ago in Families
The Devil Face Dollar Bill
It had been a week since the passing of my beloved grandmother and four days since saying said my final goodbyes at the funeral. She was my favourite person and would continue to hold that title until my dying day. She had had a good life living to the age of ninety-nine, only a month shy of her hundredth birthday. I had taken the task of going through all the belongings in her home, though this was done out of love, it was also so I could possibly find the diary she had left me in her will. I had felt a sense of honour being left the diary of a woman who had led such a full life, and yet no one knew where she kept such a cherished item. The final evening of my stay in the house, I decided that I would sleep in her bed as the couch was starting to put a permanent kink in my neck. To some, the thought of sleeping in the bed where their grandmother had quietly passed in her sleep may have seemed morbid or obscure in the least, but after outfitting it with clean sheets and my favourite comforter that I brought from home, I felt more at peace than I had the entire week.
By Tara Gerhart5 years ago in Families
Grandmother's Love
Friday It was a very cold and rainy day in the small town of Smyrna, Delaware. That was not unusual, especially in the Wintertime.
By Brooke Bowman5 years ago in Families
Pearl's Gift
Pearl’s Gift “Hi, would you like to buy some perfume,” says a little girl with dirty blonde hair as I walk around the corner. Her voice is a pleasant interruption to my daily stroll through the neighborhood park. She points to her display of glass bottles. Some are colored brown, some blue and several clear. Each one is filled with varying degrees of what appear to be mucky green pond water. “You can pick which ever one you want” she says. Stepping up to the wooden board strew across two rocks for a makeshift shelf, I admire her collection. “Wow, where did they come from?” I inquire. “Me and my brother found them.” She answers happily and she points into the grove of trees behind her. Then I see an older boy that is the spitting image of her carrying even more treasures to put on display in their market. He stumbles up the hill with a rusted can, a plastic cup from a local fast food restaurant and more bottles in his hands. The quarry several feet down the slope seems to serve as the warehouse to replenish their inventory. “Okay, I think I like this pretty blue one.” I say and pretend to smell the make believe “perfume”. “Twenty- five cents please.” she states. I dig in my coat pocket hoping to find some loose change. Mixed in with my car keys and some crumpled up tissues, I find a quarter. When I hand it over, she exchanges the bottle with a big smile. A grin passes between the two siblings in honor of their transaction.
By Theresa Yantz5 years ago in Families
Grandpa's loose floorboard
In quite some time, Sarah had not been home. As she sat on the train pondering about the last time she had been there, she felt her stomach was in Knots. She had an argument with her mother and stormed out the door. Sarah had not spoken to her for more than 10 years. If it were not for the passing of her grandfather Sarah would not be returning. Sarah felt his Absence already. She always Kept IN touch with him calling him every week since she had moved away. Sarah was his favorite grandchild and was not concerned with making it quite obvious . Now after all these years gone by she will see her mother not to mention her aunts and uncles with her cousins. Sadly it will be bitter sweet as much as she has missed them. The fact remains everyone is there to say their goodbyes to grandpa.
By Sharon Marcano5 years ago in Families
The Gift
40. That's how old I am going to turn on Sunday. Tomorrow. I was going to be 40, tomorrow. I looked at myself in the mirror and didn't see any lines or wrinkles to confirm that. I always made it a point to celebrate my birthday every year, because to me life is a blessing and we should always embrace it.
By Liss Suarez5 years ago in Families
Lost Hope
“Could life go any more wrong?” That is what I thought to myself as I sat in the chair across from my grandfather’s hospital bed. There I was watching his life slip away as his body was devoured by sepsis. His once smooth ebony chocolate skin was now a gray-scaled leather. My thoughts continuously drowned out by the beeping of his heart monitor machine and inconsistent heartbeat. He mustered up enough strength to beckon me over to his bedside with his pointing finger. I quickly wiped the tears away from eyes and walked towards him. As I leaned in closer to hear his whispers, he slowly placed his hand over mine.
By Samantha Martin5 years ago in Families
Dead Man's Last Wish
The flight to Minnesota was short, but felt long. I never expected having to fly back home to attend a funeral for a grandfather who refused to acknowledge that I even existed. Hiding out in the funeral parlor's extra-small bathroom, I stared at my reflection, anxiously adjusting my tie and fixing my hair. It was all just too much. Mother had insisted I attend, stating that, “Grandpa George would want you here.” Yeah, I doubt that.
By Victoria Gordon5 years ago in Families