The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Thoughts On Grandparents

by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Publisher/Owner
email: dessa@hcil.net

Everytime I see Grandparents Day roll around, I wish I had my grandparents still around to visit with. I don't think anyone is as genuinely interested in your days happenings as well as grandparents.

Can you think of some special times with your grandparents. I would like to hear about them. What is your favorite thing that you alway like to do with your grandmother, grandfather, or both? Or what is it that is so special about them?

You know, If you don't want to write me so I can brag about your grandparents in The Quill, if your grandparents are still alive, write a letter to them and let them know.

If they are not still alive, write a letter to your children and let them know why your grandparents are so special. If you aren't already a grandparent, someday you might be lucky enough to become one.

My parents were the best, and I am betting yours are too. Maybe you could even write them and let your parents know how much you appreciate them as grandparents to your kids. Who do you trust with your precious newborn and kids. Almost no one except your parents, most say.

As I think of my grandparents Charles M. and Hettie Luella (Staley) Bell, I'm thankful for their love for Christ mostly. I remember Grandma typed letters to over 500 pen pals all around the world and had interesting stories encouraging them. I remember tent revivals and also remember how close they were to my dad Paul Bell, their only child. My grandfather C M Bell died when I was 5 I believe, and Grandma had suffered a stroke earlier which wore on her health, but she continued to type with her left hand. She eventually died after I graduated SHS.

Memories of my grandparents Jim and Odessa Brewer on mother's side are full of regular Sunday dinners and exploring the farm near Olena.

Grandpa Jim had a little cabin and a pond at the back of the farm. We had to cross a creek to get there if my 3 older brothers and I were on foot. Grandpa taught us to fish, shot a gun, to go boating, and even let me drive his truck in the field when I was too little to reach the peddles. After I was 16, and they had moved to town, he let me drive his fancy red Thunderbird down by the fairgrounds during the fair. He died quickly the next year after suffering from a stroke.

Grandma Jim as I called her, was always happy and kind. She would cook fried chicken and potatoes and gravy served with green beans, corn or tomatoes from her big garden. We visited with her as we watched her run her dirty clothes through different tubs of water out in the wash house and through a wringer and then hang them on the clothes line.

I would gathered eggs with her and watch her take new baby chicks, delivered by the mailman, and put them under a light in the chicken house. I hid behind her when the rooster was out, he could be mean.

After dinner and dishes were draining from hot boiling water she had poured over them to scald and kill germs, she loved to sit on the porch swing and watch us play in the yard and do acrobats.

I loved the games we played together. I think she might have let us win. She would laugh and say how good we were. She never said unkind things about people or to us. I loved that none of my grandparents were gossips but uplifting, prone to help others in some way.

Grandma Jim didn't have much, but her home was spotless, and a slice of apple or of bread from her breadbox was the best ever. It's all the love and kindness grandparents add to the family that's the key.

If you have grandparents, do not take them for granted. Enjoy them often. If they are gone, share their stories with your kids. If you've move into the role of a grandparent, please, remember how important you are, and share the love and your time with them.