Our Grandparent, aunts and uncles

The speaker talks about the importance of grandparents and their role in shaping our lives. They discuss the different personalities of grandmothers and grandfathers, and how they showed unconditional love. The speaker shares personal experiences with their country grandmother and city grandmother, describing their different cooking styles and relationships. They also mention the significance of great aunts and uncles in the family. The speaker encourages listeners to remember and appreciate their grandparents and sends a message of love and respect to them. Hey, hey, good morning, good afternoon, or good evening. Whatever time you're listening to this podcast, I want to welcome you, and I hope you enjoy today's subject, which is going to be our grandparents. How were your grandparents to you? Did they love you unconditionally? Perhaps they brought you adventures that you now would have never thought possible at that time because you were young, you didn't know. But grandmas, great aunts, great uncles, and grandpas, they were the start of our imagination. I truly believe that. They were the ones who showed us unconditional love. I truly believe that. And some people did not get along with their grandparents. Some people didn't get to know their grandparents. But I think in the long run, if you had good grandparents, which you might be thinking, how do you define a good grandparent? A grandparent that spent time with you, a grandparent that read to you, a grandparent that loved you unconditionally, and even though you didn't know it, they would have done anything you asked of them. Now, let's get one thing straight. Grandmas and grandpas, I will get to great aunts and uncles later, but grandmas and grandpas had two different sense of humors. Whereas grandmas were most likely a meek sense of humor, grandpa was a boisterous sense of humor. And you know, the pull my finger thing, oh lord. Anyway, grandma would be, you know, teaching you something in the kitchen or making beds and she was the housekeeper. She was a cook. She was the laundry woman. But I bet you she probably took you to church. She wanted to make sure your spiritual health was good along with everything else. It's like grandparents rounded us out and protected us like, say, my grandmother, my country grandmother. When I went to live with her for a little over a year because we were having some stuff built into our house and they were having my room built, not just stuff, but they were having my room done, and I stayed with my grandmother in the country. And I love the country, but I'm just a country girl at heart. And my grandmother would take me to church. We'd walk down to the church like four blocks and go to the Baptist church and then we'd walk back and she'd always slap me on the back and say, put your head upright. Look forward. Don't look down. And it was like, come on. I was really getting tired of that. And so one time she did it and she said, look forward. Don't look down. I said, if I don't look down, how do I find coins? So she started laughing, but she said, look straight ahead. Don't look down. You're going to have a hunchback when you get older. It's like, okay. So I'd wait until I wasn't with her and then I'd look for coins on the ground. But we'd go to church, then we'd come home, she'd make a nice country lunch. And I'll tell you what, this woman, when my family would come down, I think she went to the store and bought every single thing, one of each from that store, because she had this big old dining room table. And she would just go ahead and cook everything for my dad, from liver and onions to lemon meringue pie, mincemeat pie, I mean, all sorts of stuff, buttered corn, corn on the cob, you know, whatever she'd make it. And so when my family came down, that was wonderful. You know, we had leftovers for miles and miles. But my other grandma, she was the normal cook when I was younger and growing up. She cooked dinner every day because, to be honest, my mom couldn't cook worth a hoot. And my grandmother was the most amazing cook. Both of them were amazing cooks. And so I loved being down in the country and I know I'm flying back and forth. But down in the country, you know, I'd go say, I'm going to go out and play. Well, I was allowed to then, and kids aren't allowed to now, pretty much, because it's not safe anymore. But, you know, my grandmother would let me go and do what I wanted to do. And then when I got home, it was like, okay, we're done, go get ready for a bath, and we're going to get ready and go to bed. And sometimes we went to bed at eight o'clock. And I always thought that was weird, but, you know, my grandma was tired from everything she was doing all day. And she one time told me, she said, if you're not doing anything, make yourself busy. Well, that was telling me, don't waste your time. And now that I'm older, I'm the same way, because my grandmother taught me that. She taught me unconditional love, because I was always someone who shied away from love. Because my family was so dysfunctional, we pretty much didn't even have the word love in our family. Nobody said, I love you, but my grandmother would, and my country grandma. And eventually saying that over and over, eventually got into my blood. And I could say that to people. Now my other grandmother up in the city was a typical city grandma, is what I'd call her. She would make sure all the food was cooked. She'd make sure the kids cleaned their rooms. She lived with us all the time. When my mother was having problems, it'd be call grandma, and she'd come over and stay with us. But she was so stressed out, and I felt so bad for her, but I loved her so much, and I could never get that close to her. I mean, mentally, physically, whatever you want to call it, it's like we were never close. But, you know, it was just a very odd getup with this grandma. And like, we'd go to clean our rooms, we'd say, Grandma, the room's clean, can I go out and play now? And she'd say, let me see your room. She'd go to check the room, what the hell? You didn't put this away, you didn't put that away. You know, and I think that was her favorite word, was hell, because, you know, when the adults would talk, she'd use that word quite a bit. But it was kind of funny, it was a heart thing, you know, where any time you hear somebody say the word hell, you think of your grandma, because it was just a habit of hers or something. But I know it was just a euphemism, a phrase that she would use, maybe she was raised with it, who knows? But, you know, I loved her, but I never really got that close to her, emotionally, physically, you know, it was like she was there, but she was 180 miles away, because of all the stress she was going through. And maybe she didn't want to get close to us kids, and maybe she just didn't like kids, but she, when she was being serious, she'd look in your eyes and just melt you. You know, I mean, not with hate, but with love. She had loving eyes. And so I miss her so much, but I want to remind everybody to have a good memory of your grandparent today, to send a love bubble to them up in heaven, and let them know you're thinking of them, and you have not forgotten them. So let's move on to great aunts and uncles. Now they're the goofballs of the family. And I barely knew my great uncle, my mom's brother, and I think I was way too young to get to know him. I just remember I have this reoccurring vision in my head, and it's of somebody raising the blanket on my bassinet, and I could see him. Now the reason I know it was him is because I described him to my sisters, and they both said that was Uncle John. Okay, well, I believe him because I described him. But in dreams I used to have was somebody coming up and pulling the roof off the house, and I was looking up, and I'd see this man peering into where the ceiling used to be. And then one night I had a dream where it was a blanket pulled up over my bassinet, and that was, I presume, the first time he ever got to see me, and I guess the first time I got to see him. But I hear he was pretty fun, you know, a pretty nice guy. But my aunt, my great aunt on my grandmother's side was a hoot and a half. I mean, she was so funny. She just had the giggles like you wouldn't believe, and I think they may have been nervous giggles, but she had the cutest little laugh, and I've never heard anybody laugh like it before. Just remembering that makes me giggle, and I mean, it's like it cheers me up. It really does. And so now we have to send a love bubble up to them, too, because they were a part of our lives, and again, if you did not have a great aunt or great uncle or grandparent that you knew, I apologize, and I feel for you. I really do. There was something major that you missed, and you know, I think grandparents and great aunts and uncles are the ones who made us nice, happy people. You know, we have those little memories built in, and we can draw from them, and it's just a fun thing to think about, but getting back to grandparents again, think about your grandpa for a minute. What do you remember? What was the funniest thing grandpa ever did? I want to brighten up your day. What was the funniest thing grandma ever did? You know, think about these things. Without these people, we would be nothing. We wouldn't have parents, and we wouldn't be here. They deserve our respect and our love. So I will leave you with that, and you may email me at MasterPodster67 at AOL.com. Let me know what you think about this. This was kind of a mishmash. I'm having trouble talking this morning. I apologize, but this was kind of a last-minute thing, and I just wanted to have people think about their grandparents. You know, they're long gone. Our lives are so busy, and as grandma said, what the hell has gone on? We haven't thought about our grandparents in a while. So think about them and send them a love bubble, and let them know you love them and you miss them, and you are happy being who you are because of them. Think of the best thing your grandma ever cooked, the best smile she ever smiled, that little wink from grandpa, and a great-aunt or a great-uncle taking your hand as you leave the room because the adults had to talk, you know, that kind of thing. But love your family, your grandparents, your great-aunts and uncles, your aunts and uncles. They're a major part, too. I should have mentioned them. You know, they're your mom and dad's brothers and sisters, but it's like right now their lives are so busy, you know, things happen. But your great-aunts, great-uncles, and grandparents, think about it. Give them some love bubbles. Talk to you next time. Take care. Bye-bye. Be blessed and be safe. MasterPodster67 at AOL.com. Bye-bye.