My Paternal Grandparents

I wonder sometimes if Grandparents realize what an impact they have on their grandchildren. I was blessed to have 4 grandparents in my life that I have always known loved me with all their hearts. Not once have I ever questioned if they loved me or not even though each one of them treated me differently, left me special memories of their very own, each one unique.

My paternal grandfather was in my mind a tall handsome man with a soft voice that always called me 'his little princes'. Over the years I heard him call many things but none of them fit my description of him; cad, womanizer, skirt chaser, drunk, and useless hillbilly were some of the nicer names I heard him called. It never once altered my opinion of him though, he was my Grandpa, he loved me, and I loved him.

Grandma on the other hand was a very strong outspoken lady. I can't imagine anyone ever crossing her or disagreeing with her because I'm sure they would regret it later. It didn't matter though with me she was always firm but I think when no one else was around did her best to spoil me too. I know she loved me.

The story I heard about my grandparents was Grandma saw this handsome man and fell in love. It was truly 'love at first sight'. When she married him her family disowned her because he, Grandpa, came from the wrong side of the tracks. Maybe he did, I mean I have to admit Grandpa's claim to fame was even in his 70s he was in his own words, "jus as good look'n as ever". And even though my Grandparents divorced before I was born I know in my heart that Grandma went to her grave still in love with him.

When they married Grandma and Grandpa lived in a little shack in the back hills of Kentucky. Life was so difficult for them that when my father's youngest sisters, twins, were born Grandma and Grandpa gave up their oldest daughter for adoption to Grandma's sister who couldn't have children and could give her all the luxuries of life my grandparents couldn't. That left them with them still with 5 kids and not much to give them.

Eventually Grandma moved to Michigan with my father, his brother, and three sisters. That was when she bought the house that I remember so well. I have many fond memories of that house. It was a big old white house with a porch that ran all the way along the front. I remember spending hours and hours setting in rocking chairs on that porch with my Grandma and 2 youngest aunts. Those chairs saw so much rocking time that they had worn ruts in the wooden porch floor.

When I would visit Grandma would let me play beauty shop. I would roll her hair, do her make-up, and pick special outfits for her to wear. I also got to play for hours and hours in the upstairs bedroom in the boxes and boxes of cloths. Grandma tended to keep everything and I learned later in life that it had to do with her times of not having anything back in the hills.

Sometimes Grandma would give my aunts and me money and the 3 of us would take the city bus downtown to the theater to see movies or go shopping at the drug store. My aunts were beautiful and had lots of friends so it was always fun tagging along with them. Even though I was 5 years younger than them I was as tall as them when I was 10 so often they would pass me off as being their age.

Sometimes my Grandfather would come to visit that house too but not very often. That didn't matter though because one of my most memorable stories involved one of Grandpa's visits but that's another story in itself.

Even though I didn't spend a lot of times with my grandparents I still have many wonderful memories of times with them. Silly little things like rocking chairs and curlers. Those special little times when no one else is around and how a grandparent can make those things seem like the greatest things in the world.