Everyone has people in their lives they sincerely cherish. For many it's their spouse/partner. For others, it's close friends or family members. One of the most cherished people in my life is my grandma.
Whenever I drive to my grandma's house, I pass through a thousand memories from my childhood.
- Kenmore Air Harbor where my grandma worked
- Nu Lite Chinese restaurant where we'd go for Sunday dinners (no longer open...)
- Bartell's drug store and their brown grab bags.
The nostalgia peaks when I turn the corner and head down the hill towards my grandma's house. Although it’s seen better days, her house represents so many wonderful days from my youth. It was a castle on an outdoor play land: Tree swings, brobdingnagian (yep, I just used it) rocks, wide-open fields, bikes rides, etc. I spent a number of summers before the age of 12 with my grandparents and without my actual family – I felt so grown-up getting on that airplane by myself and heading up to Seattle!The aura around my grandma and her house didn’t end in my pre-teen years. I moved in with her for the summer between high school and college, and, although I was bigger and taller, she was still the same magical person from my youth.
I returned to Seattle for a visit this past weekend and spent a few hours with my grandma and my sister’s family. Watching my niece zoom around the house reminded me of my childhood with my grandma in that house and the influence she’s had on my life. Now, I may not think of my grandma every day, but she and my grandpa provided key elements to the back bone of my world: love, joy, happiness, family. And I thought of how my mom and dad will be that influence to my niece; the thought brought a big smile to my face.
