Thankful for the gift of time...
My family and I live upstairs from my 95 year old grandmother. We call her the Polish word for grandma - Babcia. We spend a lot of time together, and my children see her daily. She is a huge part of our lives. On this day of Thanksgiving, I think about what I am grateful for, and she immediately pops into my mind.
I grew up with two working parents, and spent a lot of summers and school vacations with my grandparents. I was very close to them. My grandfather passed away in 2011, and I moved into my grandmother's house in 2012. It is crazy that I have been living her for over 12 years. I started out living alone, going out with friends, dating, working, etc. and then before I knew it, I got married, had a baby, had another baby.... and here we all are.
Some days it blows my mind that my children have this relationship with MY grandma.... she is 95! And each year as everyone ages, it becomes more and more special because the chances of my children remembering her becomes more of a possibility. When my son lists his family members, he includes me, my husband, his big sister, himself, my grandmother, and our cat. She is truly embedded into our life. She is a part of the first day of school pictures. She is a part of the Halloween costume photo. She is a part of us.
As she gets older and a more reliant on me for help, my children see that. My daughter asked me once, 'when you get old, do you want me to care for you like you care for Babcia?' It brought a tear to my eye that my children are experiencing this a regular thing. We care for each other. Family cares for family.
When Babcia can't find her cane, or her keys, my kids know it is time to hunt for whatever item is missing. When one of my kids is enjoying a chocolate bar (Babcia's favorite) they will share a piece. When Babcia is going down the stoop my son has taken over the '2 more steps!.... you're down, you're down' that I used to warn her with.
While we are often reminded to enjoy each day because you never know what tomorrow brings, that brings a whole new meaning when you are talking about someone who has graced this earth for over 95 years. I am thankful for each and every day that I share with Babcia and my children.
Posted by Erica
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