One of the fondest memories of my grandmother was sitting down at her kitchen table and having lunch grandma was from Poland and could not speak much English and I could not speak much Polish yet we had long conversations and I always wondered how.  It must have been frustrating for her and yet she always seemed happy when I was there she wore hand sewn shirts and blouses she’d made from her sewing machine which was not electric rather the old foot peddle. I loved it when I got to wear one of her aprons I felt so important that gram would share such a treasure I would look at my grandma as she worked in her kitchen wearing one of her aprons making our lunch which to me was a five star restaurant and savor those moments during my lifetime.  I’d look around the room at the pump in the sink which gave us water to wash dishes and the pots pan which she’d use to cook our food and it all seemed magical and amazing and that I was a part of these times.  I remember the smell of sulfur water in her house which I never thought anything other then ordinary and today I smile when I go to my daughters and smell the well water in her home which reminds me of my grandma house my daughter lives in a 100 plus year old house which has well water the same smell of my grams kitchen and it takes my feelings back to the times I spent with her.

One of the very best lunches gram and I had together was frying bacon and slicing home grown tomatoes along with lettuce and home made bread we would assemble the sandwich in layers: bacon, tomatoes, and end by smearing on mayo or salad dressing as (I truly can’t remember which she used) cut the sandwich in half and quarters and then eat the best sandwich in the world. 

After eating our sandwich you could smell the bacon throughout the house and if I was still hungry she’d let me dip small pieces of bread into the grease left in the pan. Gram would drain the excess fat from the bacon into a glass jar to be used on your toast and other things she made the following days, I know what you’re thinking all that fat and we all must have been pretty hefty people we weren’t.  Gram was skinny as a rail because of how hard she worked on her farm planting gardens and taking care of all the animals while her husband worked in a plant nearby.

There were work horses for the plowing, pigs, chickens, ducks, and a few cows so gram’s life was filled with chores from early morning to night.  I wish I could remember how many times I visited with my gram however at age 62 the memories are fading and perhaps that’s why I’m sharing these with you today I’m hoping this will persuade you to think about a fond memory of your gram or grandpa and what it was like when you visited their home as a child.  We have money, things, and more things however even with material possessions we find ourselves still feeling empty, lonely or unfulfilled.  Perhaps it’s time to remember the experiences we had with our family and begin to plan more new memories something we won’t tire of even though it’s not an object how odd for me to realize the importance of life’s occurrences verses the things we buy.  The memories we have and the new ones we’ll make in the future go on think for a moment of what you remember and cherish in memory and make some new ones with the people you love.

My best, Dorothy