Fond Memories of Grandpa

This is one of my favorites of Grandpa. He was silly and I can hear him saying, “Hey!” I keep this image in my closet, so I can see him every morning when I get ready for my day.

Fond Memories = Mental Health Boosters

Do you ever just get an image in your mind of someone that is long gone and it brings you back? It may be a certain scent you get a quick whiff of, a deja vu type of moment or even running across an object that brings back a vivid memory. You stop what you are doing and relish in that moment.  It may just make you smile, and is just one of the best mental health boosters. It may bring you to your knees, depending on the day. You would give anything to see them again and share that moment with them. These fond memories are good, even if you have to bawl your eyes out, sometimes those cries can be very cleansing and needed. That’s okay.

Well, that just happened to me. I needed it. I miss him oh so much and it’s hard to believe that my Grandpa has now been gone for almost 14 years. Can I paint you a picture? It all presented itself with just the sound of a Polka playing in the background.

Let me paint you a picture

There once was a man that was filled with so much light and positive energy. He loved his family so very much and it did not take a lot to please him. He was happy with the simple pleasures of life. One of my most favorite memories, and there are many, was the time before supper (no I don’t call it that anymore but Grandma and Grandpa always did) when Grandpa had run all of his errands and he would lay on his made-up bed listening to Polkas. How I disliked those Polkas. But man, I would listen to Polka music over and over just to see him again.

The Memory

As a kid, I remember it being Grandpa’s time and we were not supposed to go in the room to bother him. I feel like we might have from time to time but for the most part, we stayed away. Whenever you would walk by their room in the middle of the hallway, you could see Grandpa in his zone with his ankles crossed and this was the kicker, his stockinged feet.

Grandpa never went without his slippers in the house and always had shoes outside, so to see his socks was a rarity. Sometimes you could even catch a glimpse of his feet swaying back and forth to the music. If he was in a particular type of mood you could hear him humming and even singing at times. Silly Grandpa, we would think. Now, as an adult that needs to feel grounded from time to time, I totally get why he did this.

He lay in there listening to his polkas and you could hear something sizzling on the stove as Grandma got supper ready. I often wonder if we called it that because we would eat so darn early (4:30, I believe). Was it a Cleveland or Slovenian thing? I really do not know.

When dinner was ready one of us grandkids would usually go in there and let him know. Yes, there were even times when we would have to go in there and wake him up. I’m sure we yelled because kids don’t quite understand the need to wake a sleeping adult in a much less intrusive fashion. Damn kids. He never complained though. He would say “Thank you, honey.’ Get his slippers on and join us for dinner.

Positive Re-creations

Sometimes, I like to think about what it would have been like had my Grandpa been around when my kids were born. I like to think of it as the same Grandpa I had as a kid, maybe that’s the beauty of not having someone around later in life, we get to create our own positive reality of how it would’ve been. Sometimes I picture my kids sneaking a peek at silly Grandpa listening to his polkas and I wonder if they would have crawled up right next to him and listened.

I feel like Aubrey would have but I am not quite sure if the boys would have been able to be chill for that long. I picture them telling me how Grandpa had started singing the Polka songs while they giggle. I would just shake my head and say “Grandpa loves his polkas” and secretly wish I could lay beside him and listen to him sing in his deep voice. Grandpa's legacy will forever be a part of me.

Cherish Memories

Life is so funny like that. Cherish those family memories that you have. We didn’t have cameras on our phones and especially video availability like nowadays. Write it down. Even if you think you’re not a writer, just do it. It’s fun to look back and remember the little details that sometimes start to fade with time.

With fondest memories,

~Momma Bird

Conclusion

I invite you to leave a comment, tell me about your mental health boosters that paints your story of the memories that become your own positive cherished memories. And if you haven't already, follow, like, or subscribe and let's all go on this crazy journey together.

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