SunBeams 2
Ever year, I miss this month the most.
Because my family has six birthdays in March. No kidding.
My cousin was born on the 11th, I was born on the 15th (The Ides of March), my sister was born on the 16th, my grandfather was born on the 17th (St. Patrick’s Day), my older brother was born on the 18th, AND my oldest nephew was born on the 29th.
Always wondered why my parents loved listening to that song Summer Lovin’. (Hey, YOU figure it out! Heh.) And here’s the punchline: My sister was adopted! Can you believe that? 365 days in a year and my parents somehow adopted a baby girl who was born on March 16th. After all these years, that never ceases to amaze me. (And neither does my sister so it’s all good!)
But when I was a child, my parents always used to take us to see our grandparents in Pennsylvania so we could all celebrate. (And because it saved a small forture on birthday cakes.) My parents had their own bedroom, of course. And my sister, being the oldest, usually shared a room with my our birthday cousin, Lynn. My brother got to sleep on the couch. But, being the youngest at the time, I had to sleep on the floor.
Of course.
One morning I woke up and I hear my grandparents arguing. So I got up and as I headed to the kitchen, my grandfather had grabbed his coat and was heading for the door.
So my grandmother asked, “Where do you think you’re going?”
And my grandfather said in deep, burly voice, “I’m going for a walk! And I don’t know WHEN or IF I’m coming back!”
And he slammed the door on his way out.
Well, of course, I was scared to death. But my grandmother–who is still the greatest woman I’ve ever known–just kind of casually walked over to the door, opened it up, and said, “WHEN or IF you’re near the grocery store, WE’RE LOW ON MILK!”
Ah ha ha ha ha!!!
Of course, that’s a joke. It didn’t really happen, but it certainly shows the relaxed fun of my grandparents’ marriage. And they were faithful to each other for over sixty years. And although my grandfather passed away in 2003, my grandmother still counted the anniversaries of her remaining years.
She went to Heaven two years ago. I still miss her. And my grandfather. They were my first glimpse of God’s unconditional love because it didn’t matter to them if you went to college or prison–they loved everybody the same. Everybody.
I remember once my grandmother had to go to the store. She took us boys with her and my cousin Amy. Well, when they came out, Amy was happily enjoying a Sugar Daddy. And, being the selfish critters we were, us boys started whining about not getting our own Sugar Daddy. ”It’s not fair!” we reasoned.
Well, my grandmother patiently got in the car, turned around, and asked, “How many people think I didn’t get everybody a Sugar Daddy?”
A few hands went up. Maybe mine.
But then my grandmother reached into the bag, pulled out Sugar Daddies for all of us, and said, “Now, you know I would never do that.”
It was a lesson I’d never forget.
In the years since, I have often told my grandmother that I hope I treat my children the way she treated us. She would playfully counter with, “You got to get married first!”
That hasn’t happened yet. But I do know that before it does, I am going to tell my prospective bride that story and listening carefully to what she says afterwards. Because I want us to be as gracious to my own children as my grandmother was to me.
And as I look back now on all those wonderful memories I have of my grandparents, it amazes me to think that when those things were actually taking place, God knew that my grandmother would go to Heaven…
…on March 15th 2006.
My birthday.
Who knows? Maybe that was her way of honoring me. S’pose I’ll know when my own time comes.
Goodbye, Granny.
