- ladybugs are lucky
both of my grandparents preached this, even my grumpy ole’ grandfather. Anytime i’d bring back a ladybug, they’d preach about how it was gonna be my lucky day. i can’t tell if they actually believed it or just said it for us to believe in something. when my grandfather passed in 2016, my grandmother’s house became infested with ladybugs. she swore up and down is was barry talking to her from beyond the grave.
2. watermelon is a dessert
when i was younger a detested eating anything remotely healthy. i was on a strict diet of little debbie cakes and mac n cheese. i never ever strayed. that’s why i never understood why my grandparents got so excited to finish dinner so they could dig into the big plate of watermelon sitting in the middle of the table. to them it was dessert. well, first dessert. that didn’t stop us from digging into ice cream sundaes and drumsticks (the lil ice cream cone with the chocolate at the bottom, not actual chicken) after dinner was over.
3. cereal can talk
this one may stick out, and i’ve kind of had to realize that this might be an only my family thing. lemme explain. rice krispy cereal pops when you pour milk over it. so, when i was younger, and would wake up for breakfast, i’d have a generous bowl of that. my grandma would always tell me it was whispering to me. i’ve never really understand what it was saying though.
4. antiques are something to be treasured
so at my grandparents house we have the living room and then the den. when i was little it always made me so mad, because i’d say it’s in the living room, but the actual “living space.” was the den. the living room was only for antiques to be displayed, nice dinners (i.e. thanksgiving, christmas, etc.), and for the christmas tree to be kept. both of my grandparents enjoyed hunting for antiques, placing them in the perfect spot, and then keeping them spic and span. it broke my heart when my grandmother took some of them down since my grandfather died. she said it was too much work. yes it is, but it wasn’t too much work before. i guess heartbreak makes everything harder.
5. surprises don’t have to be big
i vividly remember getting four shots in the same day when i was four years old. i was wearing my “fancy” dress, and my grandmother had taken me to the appointment. she said to me “now emme if you don’t cry, you get four surprises.” i you know i sure as heck didn’t cry. so we first went to McDonald’s, and i gobbled down a happy meal, content that that was my first surprise. the next three, were that i could pick out any three things at the dollar store. it seriously was the best day ever, and they weren’t the huge extravagant things. i was so happy, and it shows that you don’t have to go above and beyond for people to be appreciated.
overall, i love my grandparents, and they’ve taught me a plethora life lessons i’ve kept with me.
