Grandpa Joe was the first of all my grandparents to pass away. When I think of Grandpa Joe, I always will see him in this hat. He always had it, or one similar to it, on.
My Dad and my step-grandpa didn't have the best of relationships, but Grandpa Joe was always real good to us kids. He would always rap his knuckles for us on the table in a certain rhythm, tease us and share his dry-roasted peanuts with us. He enjoyed being with us and we enjoyed being with him.
This is my Grandpa Cliff (my dad's father). He passed away a few years ago. I love this picture of him because of his smile here. Grandpa was always smiling.
In fact, I can't think of a time when he wasn't smiling. Grandpa Cliff was an upbeat, positive and kind person. He loved everyone with a child-like love, believing the best of all. A demonstration of his kindness can be seen in his friendship with my step-grandpa Joe. At the end of their lives they were best friends. I don't know many men who could form a close friendship with the man that married their former wife (whom they still loved), but my Grandpa Cliff did. He always drove a red cadillac. He loved his cadillacs. My Grandpa Cliff had some hearing problems from the time he was little. A sickness left him deaf in one ear. There were many times that I'm sure he couldn't hear us talking, but he would sit there nodding and smiling as if he could always wanting us to feel heard.
This is my Grandma Catherine(Dad's mom). She is still living and as sharp as ever, despite severe arthritis and back pain. She is full of spunk and energy. Visiting Grandma's house was a highlight in everyone's year.
She would spend hours baking cookies for us before we came. She'd bake them and store them in her freezer downstairs. I loved Grandma's cookies. I'd try to sneak down and grab a few. She'd cook us hamburgers and milkshakes, make us fancy breakfasts...the food was good. All of my great recipes come from her. She was an early riser up around 6 cleaning her house which she kept meticulous. She took great pride in her appearance and many were the conversations we would have with her as we sat around her dining room table talking while she readied herself for the day. Like I said earlier, she is full of spunk. I remember her taking us to an aerobics class once and seeing her in her leotards, working out. You know those ladies that are always in the background shouting, "Woo!" or "Way to go" or "Keep going" in the aerobics class? That was my grandma. She was the life of the class. Then, on our way home, she popped in the soundtrack to Footloose, cranked up the volume and sang Let's Hear it For the Boy with all the kids in the car. She was always getting us ice cream cones or taking us to the park. We all enjoyed our time with Grandma.
When I think of my Grandma and Grandpa Landers, I always think of them together. Loving and intimate, they enjoyed one another's company. My Grandpa Landers passed away last year and my Grandma is in Georgia living without him. It is hard to think of her, without him. Grandpa always took great care to make my grandma happy.
Grandpa was very affectionate with us all and as soon as he'd see us, would greet us each with a kiss on the cheek. I hated when he kissed me with that beard. It was scratchy. He'd always bring us candy when he came...chocolate covered peanuts were our favorite. When we were little, he'd sit us on his lap and let us "drive". We all thought that was great. When I was 17 I went and lived with Grandma and Grandpa for the summer to get some experience in an engineering office. I thought I wanted to be an engineer. Grandpa had great patience with me as I painted his machines. I wasn't the best painter and I think I ended up with more paint on myself than on the machine. I also crashed his truck into someone else's in the parking lot when I went to get some supplies for him. I'm still amazed to this day that I never heard one angry word from him about that.
My Grandma Landers is very different than my Grandma Catherine. She would never put in music, turn it up loud and sing along. She is quiet, reserved, a little aloof and very opinionated (of course, Grandma Catherine is opinionated too). She cares about people deeply and is a great listener. The summer I went to stay with my grandparents I got to spend a lot of one on one time with my grandma. We worked together in the office so we'd drive to work together, go out to lunch and sometimes take off early for a shopping trip at the mall. Many were the times, on the way home, we'd stop at her favorite dairy to enjoy an ice cream cone. She spoiled me. Sitting in church singing, she was always quick to compliment my voice or at home, talking, she'd compliment my intelligence. She encouraged me in my goals, my friendships and my dreams. She was there for me in a time when she was greatly needed and I appreciate that. As a result of that summer we became very close. I cherish the time I had to truly get to know her and the time she took to listen to me.
All of my grandparents were wonderful. They brought a joy and love into my life that left me a better person. Grandparents do that, don't they?
"What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies." ~Rudolph Giuliani
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