Our brother-in-law, Josh, was going around in our reception and was asking everyone if they wanted to give some marriage advice to Eric and Rebekah.
He came to my Grandma Holt. Grandma was my only living grandparent on my wedding day. She gave her advice on the camera (which she hated by the way! LOL!) and then he went on to the next person.
We listened to her voice...we saw her again...and tears for both of us began to fall. Grandma went to Heaven when our youngest was 10 months old. She is now seven.
My husband sent me this text the next morning..."I really enjoyed watching those home videos last night. It was sentimental and sweet. I have been reminiscing about grandma's advice to us...that made me tear up."
Me too, babe.
Thanksgiving was always a wonderful memory for me growing up in Ohio. We would go to Grandpa and Grandma's house for the traditional meal with the aunts, uncles and cousins. Late afternoon, the moms and dads would leave for home and us grandkids would stay at Grandma's house. I would say it was the best night of the year. :)
We would eat leftovers from that day. Grandma would make some type of treat - usually caramel corn over the stove. Sometimes a batch of peanut butter fudge. Grandma had a sweet tooth!
We would then decorate her Christmas tree. Those old, fragile ornaments. And the tinsel! Grandma would save the tinsel and reuse it every year. The grown-ups teased her about it but as a kid, I thought it was beautiful. :)
We played board games. We turned the kitchen table into a ping pong table and had mini tournaments. We listened to Christmas records...yes, records!...on the record player. After we finished all the decorating, we would turn out all the lights except for the blinking tree and "pose". You could only move when all the lights were off.
We would drag the mattresses from the spare bedrooms into the living room and sleep there. And when the lights would go off, we would commence our annual sock fight. We would roll up our socks into balls and have a fight. I don't know who started that tradition but we did it. LOL! Occasionally, if we got too loud, Grandma would call out from her bedroom - "Whoever doesn't be quiet gets a dose of castor oil!" Ha!
The next morning, Grandma would wake us up with her cow bell...yep, a cow bell! We would have cinnamon rolls, that she would make from frozen bread dough, and glasses of cold milk. After breakfast, we would hang up the Christmas bells, stars, and Santas onto the windows, that Grandma had made from egg cartons.
It was a sad time when Dad and Mom came to pick us up. Until next Thanksgiving.
I'm thankful for those memories...my extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins, my Christmas ornaments from Grandma's tree, and now, that special video of her.
This year, we are traveling to my sister's home in Oregon. I am bringing those home videos. I am going to cry. (I am crying as I write this already. LOL!)
For life changes and people go away.
So take time today to be grateful for who you have.
One day, they may be only a special memory.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
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