Grandparents are very special to any child. Children with involved grandparents carry those memories with them for life. Below are snippets from memories gathered from some of our friends near the Cleveland, OH area. What makes the best memories? It looks like just spending time. Whether it’s cooking or eating a meal with one another, or taking a walk in a special place, “being there” means the world.
Amy Baughman Lloyd
“My Grandpap used to take us for an ice cream cone in the middle of the afternoon when we were little. He sold raffle tickets for his church and when he went to deliver the tickets, we got to go with him sometimes because he liked to show us off to his friends. We would get a vanilla cone on the way home and sit on the steps of the building across the street and eat it (it was a walk up window place). My grandma would get mad and tell him not to spoil our dinner. He died when I was 8, and unfortunately, I am the only one of his 7 grandkids who remembers him (I'm the oldest). But he left a mark on me… a huge one. I'll never forget how awesome he was – the ice cream just scratched the surface. I named my oldest son after him.”
Anna Carpenter
“Ice cream is the cure for everything. That is what my Grandpa always said. It will cure from a boo boo to homesickness. I miss grandpa.
Melanie Clark
“My MawMaw used to sing a song called “Two Little Blackbirds” to me all the time. She would rip two little pieces of tissue and put them each on a finger like they were the birds. Then, when she sang the line "fly away Jack, fly away Jill," she would flick them off… but they always came back at the next line said! I could never figure out how she did that until I saw her once rip 4 pieces, not two. I never told her that I figured out her secret!
Tim Collingwood
“My favorite memory of my Grandma and Grandpa is from when I was little. Before the holidays, we would visit them in their small house, and every time we went there, my Grandma would make us lunch. It included deli sandwiches made with whatever meat they would have recently gotten from the store, with potato chips, and cut up apples. What made the holidays special was that we would all watch “Miracle on 34th Street” together. Then when my grandparents moved from that house into the house we currently lived in, it was kind of sad because [the original] house was always a part of them for me, and in a way still is.”
Jesse B. Sheppard
“My grandma on my mom's side… [I remember] playing Red Rover, or Simon Says, or listening to her sing lullaby songs on the swing – all in the back yard of her house right next to the woods. So sad to see that now the woods are now a parking lot and/or a chemical storage complex. I also used to go hiking with my Dad there.”
Bud Hilf
“My favorite memory of my grandparents on my mom's side is the fact they lived right behind us. In fact, my grandmother just turned 94 this month and still lives behind my mom. We were over there all the time. She spoiled us rotten (she's still spoiling my 2 kids rotten). She bakes, cooks, gardens, cans, etc. She used to go to the Hostess outlet store on West 25th and stock up on Hostess and put them in her freezer, plus she always had Freeze n Squeeze popsicles in there. Until we all got too busy with our own family lives, we used to have a full Sunday dinner every Sunday at 11:30AM, chicken paprikash, pot roast, roast, beef, with all kinds of vegetables, usually from her garden.”
Kate Miller
"My Baba always had something for us to eat and to take home. We’d walk into the house and she was already getting up to put together a plate for whoever came through her door. I remember the good Slovak food like halushki, cabbage and noodles, and her kolache. She also got me hooked on ABC soap operas, and would refer to me jokingly as “James, her driver” when I got old enough to drive her to and from the store or doctor’s appointments. She was always there for me. I miss her.”
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PHOTO (not associated with any particular story here) titled "GrandpaErnst" courtesy of Wikimedia Commons at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/GrandpaErnst.jpg
What are YOUR favorite memories of your grandparents? What will you pass on to your grandchildren? Tell us in the comments section below, or let us know on our Facebook Wall! (CLICK HERE)