Tonight, I stood at the kitchen counter chopping vegetables for my homemade chicken noodle soup. My husband, who's not feeling well, stood by my side and watched, as we told stories about our day. Our conversation quickly turned to recipes and I asked him if he knew about a specific soup recipe that my great grandfather made when I was a little girl. One thing led to the next, and I found myself sharing memories about my great grandparents (my mom's grandparents). They were such a huge part of our lives growing up and it seemed like they were at our house almost every Sunday.
When I think of my great grandparents, (we called them Nanny and Pop), many of my memories revolve around being in the kitchen surrounded by food. Pop would bring bags of groceries and cooked for what seemed like hours and Nanny would sit at our kitchen table and play cards.
As I continued to slice and add ingredients to my chicken soup, I shared stories with my husband. Memories about my great grandparents' famous recipes, memories about the way they walked or talked, and memories of us laughing hysterically with them.
I shared stories for almost 10 minutes, rattling off my most favorite moments with each of them. My husband smiled and laughed along with me the whole time. As I grew quiet and tears started to well up, he looked me in the eyes and said, "You are so lucky that you got to know them. Most people never get that chance, like me."
I AM so lucky and very fortunate in so many ways, and I honestly believe that these feelings are magnified when you become a teacher. You hear stories about families and witness family relationships that make you sick to your stomach on a daily basis. I leave school each day with the deepest appreciation and gratitude for my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. They built such a strong and beautiful foundation for our family and I love that my siblings and I will continue to carry this on.
Prior to dinner, I had three other ideas to write about, but I couldn't stop thinking about my grandparents and great grandparents. Naturally, I just had to write about them.
My photo for the night is of my wedding bouquet. It sits on the bureau in our bedroom. The charm attached is of my other Pop, my mom's father. Pop passed away almost 2 years ago and left a huge void in our lives. I still can't believe he's gone and I will dedicate a post to him soon - there's too much to say and I haven't found the best words to describe what he meant to our family. I miss him more everyday.
"The love of a family is life's greatest blessing."
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