My grandchildren are on my mind almost constantly because they are at the center
of my world and I spend a fair bit of time with them these days since they moved to
the same town I am in. They change constantly from one week to the next and there
is always something new happening in thier lives. 

One of the things that comes to mind a lot is --How will my grandchildren remember
me once my time comes to leave this earth ? (at this writing they are 12- 1/2 and 9-
1/2 ). My grandchildren are respectful and loving and I am so very proud of them both
in all ways. They are normal children mind you and do get into trouble here and there
but for the most part they are very good kidlets for sure. Their Mother has taught them well. 

Will they remember me as Justine used to say when she was little--"oh ya that is
Curly Gramma, the one who smells pretty." Will she remember all the giggling she
and I do over cartoons or something funny she has said. Will she remember how she
calls me up on Monday nights to tell me about her latest karate moves that she has
learned as she strives to earn each colour of belt in order ? Will she remember all the
times she just has to phone and tell me when she beats a level in a new game ? 

Will Shantel remember me as the Gramma she calls and says, "Hey girlfriend, what's up?"  Will she remember how she knows she can come to me and we can talk about anything that is on her mind and I will listen to her whether I agree or not. Will she remember our pact that no matter what she tells me it is between her and I only and I will not tattle to her Mom on her unless of course I feel it is something that is going to hurt her. 

Shantel and I do not always agree as she finds me a bit old fashioned and she will
patiently try to bring me up to this century as she rolls her eyes and shakes her head
at something I do not really approve of that she is doing. She will patiently explain to
me from beginning to end why I "just must" agree with her on something. I swear
sometimes she thinks I came from the land of the dinosaurs and times when folks
lived in a cave. 

Will they remember how they call me up and excitedly tell me about their day at
school and all the wonderful things that happened that day or what happened that
dismayed them. 

Justine thinks this year that her teacher is fabulous because she used to have the
same teacher in a school she went to a couple of years ago when she lived in the
city. Now that teacher came to teach at her present school so Justine thinks that is
just grand. 

You know my babies never call me without saying, "I Love You Gramma" and then
they follow it up with a big kiss which over the phone sure does smack in my ear. I
LOVE IT !!!! 

I hear how Justine is "having a baddddddddddd day". This may be because she can
not find her newest pretty for her hair or just because she felt that sleeping was more
important then whatever the task at hand is and that she feels it is just "to rude" that
she had to get up and go to school or do household chores. Sometimes it is because
there are no apples in the fridge and that in itself is a huge tragedy to her. Each apple
has to have both red and green on the skin or she will not eat it. 

Usually it takes a few sweet words from me and a few kisses over the lines to make
her smile. Sometimes it is the promise of me picking her up at school later in the
week and taking her to lunch that will bring her tears to a stand still. 

I love taking her to lunch because she makes the neatest faces on her burgers with
ketchup or mustard. LOL  She will carefully and very intensely hold the ketchup
bottle just so and make a happy face on the meat pattie. Then promptly chomp into
it. 

It usually does not take much to make her forget her woes and smile for me.
Sometimes if it is an owie she has I will tell her to hold it up to the phone and I will
send kisses and it is instantly healed. Will she remember that? 

Shantel used to call me and we would discuss how ewwy boys are--now she calls
me to tell me how "awesome" they are.  Or she will educate me on the latest music
that is so "awesome and kewl". As I sit on my end of the phone and listen to her sing
to me with a tune that really needs a bucket to carry it in (LOL) I am close to tears
because her sweet voice has chosen me to hear it. 

I have a thousand and ten or more of wonderful drawings that they have made me and
each one is so perfect. Sometimes if I do not understand what it is that has been
drawn by the little artist in question it is explained to me with a look that tells me I
must be getting old or blind not to of seen exactly what they have tried to portray. 

God has been so good to me giving me these wonderful beautiful little girls to love
and enjoy. My heart is totally owned by them. I sat here pondering one day about the
fact that I have no legacy to leave these children and I figured that the best thing I
could do was to be the best Gramma I could be. Oh how I hope I succeed. 

I have printed out every page of my web site so  that one day when I am no longer
here they will have something to go through and read about me. Hopefully it will help
them to see the things in my life that were important to me and hopefully they will
learn about the inside of their Gramma. The things that made me tick and how I got
from one point to another in my life. It will be like a journal of sorts. I want them to
see that Gramma was not perfect and Gramma was not infallible but that I learned a
lot along the way of my life. 

I do not have a fortune to leave them in money nor do I have a lot of material things for
them to hang onto and gather dust over the years. But, hopefully I can leave them
knowing my heart was in the right place and that all the love in the world was theirs
for the taking. 

There is nothing I would not give of my body to save one of their lives and there is
nothing that I would not do if it were within my power to help them in life. Hmm for
some reason I have run out of words............. 

Oh yes before I close -- did you know that you do not order fries and gravy together?
You must order the gravy on the side because fries taste much better if you dip them in the gravy instead of having gravy on top of them. Unless of course it is poutine then for some reason that is ok to have gravy poured on top of the fries. Ah yes ....my
grandchildren teach me all of these important facts in life.  :) 

Until next time...
hugs Misker