A rolling pin, some round cake pans, a map of Venice, some kitschy Christmas ornaments, tools from Grandpa's workbench...these are what I chose to take home Grandma and Grandpa's house as remembrances of them. Last week I flew to San Diego to help Auntie and Grandma pack up Grandma's home, in preparation of her moving into an assisted living community in the Bay Area. We spent days sorting, packing, donating.
It was a couple very busy days, and when we'd take a break to sit for a moment (eating the peanut butter, miracle whip, and lettuce sandwiches Grandma had made), that's when I'd get a little teary from nostalgia.
It was hard to pack up and say goodbye to so many memories -- harder for Grandma, I'm sure. (She didn't get too sentimental, though. She seemed more worried about the hassle of packing and moving.) It was so interesting to me the things that evoked such memories, mostly items that she's had since we were kids: the Holly Hobbie tin for storing crayons, the red glass cookie jars (always with graham crackers or Oreos in them), the Christmas decorations.
I'm grateful that Grandma was there to tell us stories behind her mementos. And she said we could keep whatever we wanted -- she's downsizing, and she kept saying, what's she going to do with all this "stuff"? I tried to choose a few things that would remind me of the "essence" of Grandma and Grandpa.
What I didn't save that I've since thought twice about: the little perfume bottle shaped like a deer that I just loved just holding as a little girl. And one of Grandpa's pocket knives. But what would I do with those? I can still keep the memories with me.
What would you keep as a remembrance of your grandparents?
No comments:
Post a Comment