Making memories!

[joyful]

One of the joys of being a grandparent is you get to be a kid again and have fun.

This week with my 8 year old grandaughter who has a special name, her name is Noel, we have been making paper snowflakes and decorating them. We finally located some glitter yesterday and now my table has a glitter look to it.

Today she is going to help me do some baking. Her sister will be here later today, she is 7. She has been staying with my other daughter and she is having a good time.

My goal is for her and the other grandchldren to have good memories of this grandmother who let them bake, decorate and help to instill the love of Christmas and our precious patriotic heritage in them. And all of that is sprinkled with kindness and love that they need to continue to sprinkle as they grow.

Their value won't be in how much education they have (anyone can have that) but it will be on how kind they are and how they treat others and so they can be a thread in society that helps hold this crazy thing together with kindnesss, love and compassion for each other.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

[kerst]

That is the most precious gift you can give your grandchildren !!

They will always have these fond memories to look back on in their adult life and remember the true meaning of Christmas.

[scottish*mama*claus]

that's what Grandmas are supposed to be for! :) WHat a wonderful gift you're giving them!!

Annie

[JanaBanana]

I wish my children had YOU for a grandma! Thats what I had growing up and they are some of my fondest memories....I WILL be that kind of Grandma with my own.. BUT it better not be until Im ATLEAST 50! :D

[Ms_Speedy_Elf]

Thank you for sharing such a heart warming moment Joyful .

[Bradmac]

Those are the same sort of memories I have of my grandparents. Thanks for that, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!

[trackrebel]

Thanks for that beautifull post....You are right...Everyone can learn facts and information on pretty much everything....at least most everyone in our countries...but being intelligent doesn´t make one a good person...being able to interact and socialice with others...to feel for others who are in pain or feel sorrow....who help others when they are in need make a good person....Now if those two things....the intelligence and the kindness are combined....it´s perfect...because these people...hopefully all of our kids and grandchildren...will make a difference and help keeping things together...or maybe even change things for the better even.

In the name of all Grandchildren I thank You Joyfull...for being such a great Grandma and giving Your grandbaby such beautifull memories...of Yourself and Christmas...passing love is the most important thing to me

[clarebear]

Aww such a great gift. Thanx for sharing :)

[joyful]

Thanks everyone for your wonderfull post. You all are very special and I'm sure a blessing to your families.

[SparkleNana]

:nice: Joyful - your post was beautiful -- and the responses made to your post were also very beautiful!

[Christmasstar]

of grandma I want to be some day!
Your grandchildren are truly blessed.
:p

[Head Elf]

I remember my grandmother on my mother's side and we really didn't do that kind of thing, but as each of us kids got older she instilled so many more things into us. That's what grandparent do best and one question, here goes Will you be my adoptive grandma? I'm as old as the hills so, I guess I should adopt you..... SISTERs?

[bhenson]

I don't remember my granparents. I only knew my one granpa and he was a drunk. But I hear my grandparents that I never met were great people!

[joyful]

Thanks again forum friends.
This place is special not because it's a Christmas forum, it's because it is made up of people like all of you who have the Christmas spirit of love, kindness and good will toward men.

[Head Elf]

Don't forget to write down the wonderful times you have had, the lessons learned and so on. The mind is great but unfortunately it forgets so many things like the smells, decorations, family stories and so on.

[Santa's Helper]

I wish I had those kinds of memories of my grandparents growing up. My mom's parents died before I was born and my dad's parents well, let's just say they are different. I have some good memories with my grandmother but, not anything like what a memory of a grandma should be. And I have nothing good to say about my grandfather so I'll leave it at that! Your grandkids are very lucky to have someone like you who understands the importance of making good memories for them. This is something that they will carry with them all of their lives.

[joyful]

Santa's helper, I never knew either of my grandfathers, my grandmother died when my mom was 12 years old. My dad's mother lived up the road from us but she was not the grandmother type when I was growing up but late in my teens she did try to communicate with me and I loved her but it wasn't all postive with her.

The only grandmother figure I had was my great grandmother who raised my mother and her 4 siblings when my grandmother died 6 weeks after childbirth. I admired my great-grandmother so much and was fortunate to have her until I was 18 years old. She was 87 at the time of her death.

I really felt cheated that my grandmother died so young because the family told me what a kind, caring loving person she was (my mother was not always kind).

I never knew what it was like to have a grandfather but I never missed it and I think it was because I had such an awesome Dad who instill kindness, patience and always looked for the best in people.

So now it's my chance to give my grandchildren something that money can not buy.
It's not easy, takes a lot of patience, work but if it helps them in their adult years and they pass it onto their children and grandchildren, well, it's a legacy that is priceless.

It is all about developing relationships. They don't develop on their own. It takes effort, time, patience and love. Most of the time anyone can have a child but not always do they have a relationship with that child. My husband had a father in the home but there was no relationship between them.

I said all this because this is what is in my heart. And I do feel we can change things for future generations but we must not do away with the old ways for those ways have worked for generations and will continue to work in a postivie light.

[Santa's Helper]

Santa's helper, I never knew either of my grandfathers, my grandmother died when my mom was 12 years old. My dad's mother lived up the road from us but she was not the grandmother type when I was growing up but late in my teens she did try to communicate with me and I loved her but it wasn't all postive with her.

The only grandmother figure I had was my great grandmother who raised my mother and her 4 siblings when my grandmother died 6 weeks after childbirth. I admired my great-grandmother so much and was fortunate to have her until I was 18 years old. She was 87 at the time of her death.

I really felt cheated that my grandmother died so young because the family told me what a kind, caring loving person she was (my mother was not always kind).

I never knew what it was like to have a grandfather but I never missed it and I think it was because I had such an awesome Dad who instill kindness, patience and always looked for the best in people.

So now it's my chance to give my grandchildren something that money can not buy.
It's not easy, takes a lot of patience, work but if it helps them in their adult years and they pass it onto their children and grandchildren, well, it's a legacy that is priceless.

It is all about developing relationships. They don't develop on their own. It takes effort, time, patience and love. Most of the time anyone can have a child but not always do they have a relationship with that child. My husband had a father in the home but there was no relationship between them.

I said all this because this is what is in my heart. And I do feel we can change things for future generations but we must not do away with the old ways for those ways have worked for generations and will continue to work in a postivie light.

So true, a lot of what you said is so true. I can relate about people having children but, not having a relationship with them. My parents got divorced when I was 6 and my father only saw us for a couple of years after that and then he was gone for 21 years! It's only been since 2006 that I have tracked him down and he wanted to start talking to us again. It wasn't because I felt like I needed a dad because that time has passed it was more because I felt like there was a part of me that was missing and I wanted to know what he was like. I have some good memories of my grandmother (my dad's mom). She always kept up with us even though her son didn't. He didn't even see her or the rest of his family for 21 years! My grandmother wasn't the cookie baking kind of person. My most vivid memory of her as a child is of her sitting in her recliner, smoking a cigarette, watching HBO, drinking a beer and putting pin curls in her hair! Not the kind of story that is told in story books of the cute grandma doting on her grandkids baking cookies and telling them stories. But, that's all I knew growing up. My grandfather (my dad's father) is a completely different story. He didn't speak to my father for years and didn't speak to us for about 19 years. He was a terrible, terrible person and I'm glad that he did not communicate with us. My mom's parents based on the stories wouldn't have been much better if they had lived to see me be born. My mom has nothing good to say about her father. She has some good memories of her mom but, not many. It's kind of sad really but, I never felt cheated because of it. I did feel a little envious of some of my friends that had really cool relationships with their grandmothers though. But, my life is what it is and I make the best of it. It's really great that you make the effort to make special moments for your grandkids. Not many people do those kinds of things anymore. It's more like they sit them in front of the tv or hand them a video game while they go off and do something else. Good for you and your grandkids are very lucky to have you.