Even though my grandparents have passed away, lately there have been many times when I can almost sense their approving presence. Usually it's when either myself or my parents are in the middle of teaching my children something which has been handed down through the generations when the feeling becomes strong.
There have been times when I thought if I turned my head, I might actually see them looking over my shoulder. There have been other times when I can almost hear their voice and feel their touch as they instructed me so many years ago. It is in these times when I feel so blessed to have had them in my life for the time God allowed them to be here on earth, and yet sad they aren't still here.
All of those years they lovingly schooled me in what they'd learned from their parents and grandparents. There are many times when I wish I had listened more closely and asked more questions. To have learned more tricks to sewing (like how to actually sew a straight line) from both my maternal and paternal grandmothers would be of such benefit to me today. Oh, to have the opportunity to watch my maternal grandmother make her infamous gumbo just one more time would be the cat's meow.
I wish I would have appreciated my maternal grandfather more as he baited my fishing hooks when we'd go out fishing together. Baiting hooks and tying hooks onto fishing line is definitely an artform.
To have been granted much more time with my paternal grandfather is something I've longed for since he passed away when I was just 8 years old. He was also a photography buff and oh the things I might have learned from him. My memories with him though are of games, and tickles, and lots of horsing around.
As I look back through my life up until today, I think of all the people and experiences who have influenced me and made me the person I am today. Unlike many who profess they are "self-made" men or women, I'm definitely not one of them.
No, I believe my life is a compilation of all those who have taken the time to be a part of my life. When my grandparents were teaching me the things they knew, they were imparting a piece of them into me. As I have grown up and matured, I have become like a puzzle whose pieces have fused together and created the zany, serious, introspective, light-hearted, God-fearing, crazy redhead I am today. And I pray that I pass on a little bit of each one of them on to my children......
by: Christie Bielss
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