My grandparent’s home was a place of refuge for me as a child, and trips north to their family’s cottage at Houghton Lake brought much needed respite to my heart. I loved listening to stories of my grandma’s childhood which were unfortunately filled with tragedy. I must have found courage in her ability to survive those dark years. She was strong and opinionated and loved me deeply. She often said she loved me “more than the whole blue sky.”
My grandpa was good-humored and fun. He taught me to play Euchre, a card game I still love, and we played many games for nearly 40 years. He also taught me to fish, and we went out on his boat at Houghton Lake for hours of casting and sometimes catching fish. Though I’m vegetarian now, threading a worm on a hook and pulling a fish out of water thrilled me when I was young.
After my family moved from Michigan to Massachusetts, my grandma came to visit, and one afternoon we lay side by side on my bed. She traced my face with her fingertips, over my forehead, and down the tip of my nose and chin. When I asked why, she said it was so she could remember me just as I was after she returned home. In that powerful moment I realized she missed me as deeply as I missed her.
I feel a powerful connection to the movie Peggy Sue Got Married, especially the scenes when Peggy Sue goes back in time to visit her grandparents. I was incredibly blessed to have my grandparents until I was in my mid-forties. Even then, I did not want to let go. I still miss them both so much it takes my breath away.
My grandpa was good-humored and fun. He taught me to play Euchre, a card game I still love, and we played many games for nearly 40 years. He also taught me to fish, and we went out on his boat at Houghton Lake for hours of casting and sometimes catching fish. Though I’m vegetarian now, threading a worm on a hook and pulling a fish out of water thrilled me when I was young.
After my family moved from Michigan to Massachusetts, my grandma came to visit, and one afternoon we lay side by side on my bed. She traced my face with her fingertips, over my forehead, and down the tip of my nose and chin. When I asked why, she said it was so she could remember me just as I was after she returned home. In that powerful moment I realized she missed me as deeply as I missed her.
I feel a powerful connection to the movie Peggy Sue Got Married, especially the scenes when Peggy Sue goes back in time to visit her grandparents. I was incredibly blessed to have my grandparents until I was in my mid-forties. Even then, I did not want to let go. I still miss them both so much it takes my breath away.
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