The Side Effects of Endorphins

I don’t necessarily like this prompt, as it forces you to choose. I would love to write about painting pumpkins yesterday with the grandkids or our granddaughter in Germany. I could write for ages about their parents, which happen to be my kids, but for today, I’m going to climb the family tree and describe my grandmother.

Dorothy

I never really met her husband. He died when I was very young. We always loved being with our grandmother, but as children, we never had reason to examine her life. She was a single mother. It never really set in for me.

She was a stay at home mother, who had to go out and work. She worked as a librarian and retired as a librarian. She brought us home books and encouraged us to read.

We loved going to her house. We would play in her yard for hours on end. She always made us meals that we loved. There was always iced tea in the refrigerator. As I got older, I helped her finish the crossword puzzles and discussed the books she brought home to us. I would cook meals for her.

Memories

I’m always intrigued by memories and how they make it into our mind. Many memories are indirectly tied to my grandmother. There’s certain hours of the day, especially in the evening when the angle of the sun reminds me of her. I think of her when I open a book. I wonder what she would think of e-books at the library.

I have a feeling she would like them. Like people of her era she didn’t always like change, but they were many changes she embraced.

The Washline

It wasn’t only her, but everybody in our household seemed to have a washline. It was a place to hang your clothes to dry. Clothes hanging in the backyard certainly stir up a memory every single time. When taking clothes off the wash line, the clothes felt soft and comfortable.

Kidding

We used to kid her about cleaning her oven. When us grandkids get together, we always think about how happy she would be that we are together. We enjoy each other‘s company, but acknowledge the part she played in our lives.

One of her favorite expressions was “what a pleasant surprise“. Our family still uses that expression when we see each other with loving admiration.

It is fun to respect how we all became a family. This little essay just scratches the surface. Family is important.

So much so, this little guy was trying to work his way into the story this morning. Good morning Bobo.