Ultimate Examples

I wrote this when I was a junior in high school in 2002. Grandpa died November 18, 2003. Grandma died April 5, 2010.

They have always been there. Always. My earliest memories are waiting on the cement steps of my kindergarten anticipating their arrival. Before long, my blue chariot would pull up to the curb. No matter how bad my day had been I knew everything was going to be okay. Grandpa and Grandma were here.

Grandma would get out of the car and I would climb in the front seat between them. Grandpa would help buckle me in. Sitting on the armrest, I could be almost as tall as them. I felt grown up. As Grandpa drove to McDonald’s, they would ask me about my day and I’d tell them all about it. From finger painting to who I pretended to be when we played house. When we arrived there, in the parking lot before we got out of the car, Grandpa led us in a blessing and Thanksgiving to God. He would take off his hat and we all held hands and bowed our heads. Then, we’d go inside. We ordered lunch that always included two coffees, and of course, a Happy Meal with a toy.

In the afternoon, Grandpa worked in his office. Grandma mixed up cookies. I’d try to help and would roll them in the sugar bowl and smash them down with a fork. Then, she would put them in the oven until they were done just right.

Sometimes Grandma took my measurements and made me dresses too. I loved when Grandma made me clothes. I would buzz around the sewing machine asking anxiously if she was “just about done yet.” Grandma was always patient with me, though, and didn’t seem to mind.

Often in the afternoons, I sat in the comfortable living room and watched my favorite television channel: Nickelodeon. My favorite shows were “Flipper” and “Hey Dude.” When I got bored, I went to Grandpa’s office to visit and dig through his trash to see if there was anything I could make from it. I’d find some papers that looked interesting and my imagination ran free. I would ask Grandma for spools, scraps of cloth, or anything else I saw that would “just be perfect” for whatever idea I had in mind. My inventiveness was rarely limited.

Then, Grandpa would come in from the office and take a break. Grandma would give us hot and fresh cookies and a glass of milk to drink, and we would all watch Jeopardy. Grandpa was very smart, and he often answered the questions right before the contestants could ring in. He turned up the TV and Alex Trebeck’s voice filled the house. It was calming to hear “What is…Alex” because I knew the daily routine was being carried out. I liked the stability of being at Grandpa and Grandma’s. Life had a pattern and the pattern reassured me that everything would be okay.

After Jeopardy, we watched the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. I learned about current events and politics, about Democrats and Republicans, and about why everyone should vote. I learned about the world around me and I desired to be a part of it.

Sometimes, all of us would go for a walk outside. Grandma and Grandpa would take me to the nearby park where I could play on the slides and swings and climb trees as high as I could go. Or, we’d go to the bank downtown. Sometimes, we’d just walk around the block. I’d run ahead or walk beside them and count the number of cement blocks that made the sidewalk. I’d stop to look at the big elm trees that seemed to reach heaven, or the squirrels that scurried across the sidewalk. I was particularly interested in a large mushroom that grew around the corner.

Still other times, we would spend the afternoon at an assisted living care center visiting. Grandpa and Grandma proudly showed me off as their grandchild and I gladly accepted the offer.

Occasionally, we went to the grocery store or Pamida. Grandma always made sure there were Kraft cheese slices in the fridge and Keebler cookies in the cupboard.

When I was sick, Grandpa and Grandma would pick me up from school. They’d take me back to their house. Grandpa would cover me up with Grandma’s home-made quillow on the couch and turn on Nickelodeon. Grandma would give me Seven-Up and chicken noodle soup. She’d make sure I had everything I needed. No matter how sick I was at school, sure enough, I’d feel a million times better as soon as I got back to Grandpa and Grandma’s house.

If ever there were an activity at school, Grandma and Grandpa would be there. From my kindergarten graduation to my band and choir concerts to my basketball games, they saw it all. They sat on hard bleachers for hours listening and watching performances that left a lot to be desired, but they didn’t complain. Grandpa couldn’t always hear the music at the concerts, but he came anyway. I knew he was proud of me or he wouldn’t have come, and it made me feel really special.

Grandma and Grandpa both could always be counted on. Sometimes, my mom or dad would forget to pick me up. But I didn’t get too scared. I knew if I’d call Grandma’s house, Grandpa would be wherever I needed him in a matter of moments. That’s one of the great things about Grandparents- even when your parents forget you, you always have a back-up plan.

Through seemingly simple tasks and a basic routine Grandma and Grandpa taught me the most important lessons in my life. They have shown me what love is through words, but most importantly through their commitment to serve each other and others. I’ve learned faith and trust watching them hold hands, after countless years of marriage, before a noontime meal to take time to thank God for His blessings. They’ve given me hope that marriages can work and happiness is attainable.

I’ve learned to be giving watching them open their home to anyone who needed anything from them–family and friends, but complete strangers too. My grandparents weren’t at all rich, yet they’ve given of their little resources to innumerable worthy causes; they always have enough to go around.

Grandma has shown me how to be a great woman. Her devotion to family, friends, and God is equal only to her love. Not once, have my grandparents yelled at me or given me physical discipline– that feat alone is worth gold. I have never once been frightened at their house–that is, except the times when they weren’t there with me. I have learned discipline and self-control by viewing their own–every morning my grandparents wake up and study their Bible together in devotion to God. They do their daily tasks willingly and even in their retirement, remain busy and active always helping where they can.

I have more respect and love for my grandparents than I have for anyone else on this earth, but nothing I can do will ever convey to them how much they mean to me. They have always been there. Always.