Grandparents - too few memories

I lost three quarters of my grandparents in my childhood and the other on in early adulthood.  I have felt a little cheated.  Being the youngest in my family and born a little later than my siblings, I have been jealous of the extra time they (my siblings) had with our grandparents.  Some of my peers have their grandparents or are just losing them now.  They have had the opportunity to know their grandparents and heritage.

My paternal grandfather passed away when I was just eight years old.  I have a few vivid memories of him.  He lived on the family farm.  I never knew the farm to be operational as he retired, sold the cattle just prior to my birth.  Grandpa was a big man.  Very tall - well over 6 feet, broad shouldered, and big feet.  (How would I know he had big feet?  We moved into the farm as a family following his death and I found his size 13 shoes!)  He seemed a giant to my little eyes.   I only knew of Grandpa to wear overalls.  The stripped, train engineer overalls.  He had at least two pair maybe three that hung on pegs.

 Not very old by today's standards as he was 70 at death, I remember him to be lumbering and leisurely in his movements, never in a hurry.  He gave me whisker rubs; pushed me on the tire swing; took me to town in his pick-up that he never drove over 40 mph; fried Thuringer Summer Sausage in a cast iron pan with a huge pat of butter; paid me a penny for every box elder bug I killed with a pair of pliers and deposited in a tin can, with the expectation those pennies go to the orphanage fund at church; and he sat in a stool chair by the window in the kitchen just behind Grandma's chair.  I remember his final gifts to me on that last Christmas, a teddy bear and a watch.  He died just a few weeks later during a bitter cold January.

My maternal grandfather passed away when I was 14.  He was the opposite in stature to my other grandfather.  Short and round, his growth stunted following a train and car accident in which he was a passenger in the car as a young boy.  His health was not very robust in my childhood, but I think he must have been busy, fast moving guy in his younger days.  That is how I would perceive him anyway.  Rather cantankerous and growlie, we grandchildren ran around his lawn chair or his recliner out of reach of his cane.  He had an interesting feature of a double thumb on one-hand.  He always wanted to play the thumb game which of course he won easily with those two thumbs.  He would holler "Ma!" to get Grandma's attention and stomp his foot at the dinner table indicating he was ready to start dinner.  He had lemon drops candy on his dresser which we children would snitch.

My paternal grandmother passed away when I was 15.  She had a significant influence on me.  I can't really pin point why that is exactly.  I have been told by many a person as I grown older that she was a special lady, a prayer warrior, and a living sermon.  Maybe I was intrigued by her as I moved into her home when Grandpa died.  She moved into the nursing home as she was crippled by rheumatoid arthritis and needed considerable assistance.  So crippled I never knew her to stand, always seated in her chair, limited in movements as the arthritis robbed her of her mobility.  I never once heard her complain about her circumstances but she did talk to me a lot about the day the Lord was going to heal her and she and I were going to play some ball - baseball that is and she would drive the pick-up.  She loved the Minnesota Twins and faithfully listened to their games on the radio.  She always had a radio at her side. 

In her home, she sat in a chair at the kitchen table, placed there by her loving husband each day.  She was next to the window overlooking the screen porch where all visitors entered the house.  She had next to her, her beloved radio, writing utensils, telephone, and I am sure a plethora of things a young girl takes little notice.  Moved into the nursing home she still had her radio and an envelope of dimes in which to give me to buy a bottle of soda down the hall.  The nursing home gave her greater mobility of a wheel chair and outings to see the Twins in the Metrodome!  Sometimes Dad and I would pick her up in that old pick up and strap her chair (with her seated in it) in the bed and bring her home for the local parade or picnic.

She was rather short in stature, a small woman.  Beautiful, white crown of hair and deep dimples in her cheeks.  She often spoke of the Lord, His return, and her faith in His ability to heal her.  I really believed that I would not have a chance to grow up and have children because Jesus' return was imminent.  It IS imminent but as a young girl I did not understand the fleeting of time. 

Her death is a prominent memory.  She was ill and failing.  Again, young by today's standards at 75.  Cancer had taken my grandfathers and cancer was claiming her too.  In those days the big C word was usually a death sentence as there wasn't much hope for cures or remission.  It was the last day of April and it was snowing.  All of the adults were by her bedside while I was instructed to wait in the family lounge of the nursing home.  There were large windows that I watched the nearly six inches of snow fall.  I knew she was gone when my dad came to find me carrying her radio. 

I have many impressions of this lady that are difficult to put into words.  Yet she impacted my life so significantly in a short time.  In short she was a prayer warrior and I am certain that her prayers continue to affect my life and family today.  I am positive she is playing ball with the apostles and disciples today in Heaven.

My maternal grandmother lived the longest in my life. Passing away at 85 years old, she is the only grandparent of mine that my children had the opportunity to meet.  Her memory has quickly faded from their memories as they were young, preschool and kindergarten ages.  She was a sprite of woman with a lot of energy.  Sitting on a pillow to see over the steering wheel and the seat pulled as far forward as possible as she drove "Bessie", her car, into town on errands.  She owned a lake shore home and had her beach open to us all summer for our enjoyment.  There were always cookies, usually two varieties, on the counter and Popsicles in the freezer.  We usually left with a treat of Smarties candy on our way out the door.  She tolerated wet, dripping, soaking swimmers traipsing through her small home to use the bathroom.  I'm sure it must have been a challenge as she was a neat freak.  I imagine she was continually mopping up after we traipsed back out to the water.  She tended our sunburns with her aloe plant and always had extra towels and swimsuits on the ready.  She loved her flowers and birds faithfully tending and feeding each.  I remember her love of Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal that visited her feeder and her loathe of the squirrels that would rob her birds of food.  Oh - that brings a memory of grandpa hunting the red squirrels.  They both had a keen dislike of those squirrels.

All taken too early in my life to really glean valuable ancestral information from any of them, with the exception of my maternal grandmother.  To hear their life stories, to hear how living was for them - through droughts, monsoons, economic depressions, wars...  To hear their testimonies of meeting the Savior.  I feel cheated for myself and my children.  My husband too.  I think they were cheated in knowing me and my family as well.    I look forward to an eternity in heaven with them to get to know them, hoping each are there awaiting our arrival.