What gifts will you leave as a legacy?
Holidays and birthdays evoke memories and sentimentality.
This month is full of both for our family. My grandmother’s birthday is just a few days after mine and, although she’s gone now, it’s still a special date on the calendar. And, my youngest child and two granddaughters were born this month.
There’s something about growing older that prompted me to consider the ages of my mother and grandmother as I looked at old family photographs. In doing so, I recognized that in many of the photographs they’re younger than I am now. At the time the photos were taken, I probably thought they were old.
Revering our elders was taught both by word and deed. We didn’t disdain, deride or mock our elders. As a youth, and later as a young adult, I viewed them as mature and wise. They didn’t pretend to have all the answers, I just attributed that to them. Now, I view them, or more realistically the memory of them, with more grace and recognize that they were as fallible as I am now. They, too, had weaknesses, failings, fears, but they didn’t talk of them.
My grandmother was 42 years old when I was born (for three days, anyway) and thought she was a young grandmother. She liked to joke that the ladies in her Sunday school class teased her that they didn’t want an “old grandmother” in their class.
She was very involved in my life as I was the first grandchild and only granddaughter for many years. Grandmother always made me feel special and encouraged me to do my best. She wrote on the fly leaf of every book she gave me “Always look your best, do your best, think your best and then, with the love of God, you will be the best.” I loved to read and she gave me books for every occasion.
She was an excellent seamstress and encouraged me to sew by sending me to sewing lessons and later giving me my first designer sewing machine. She provided for my cello and piano lessons and took me to the symphony and theater.
Now, as old as she was when I was in college, I don’t feel as old, mature or wise as I thought she was. My grandchildren are much younger and I’m still learning. But, maybe that was the greatest gift she gave me — to love learning and continue to grow.
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Editor’s note: Annette Beard is managing editor of The Times of Northeast Benton County, chosen the best small weekly newspaper in Arkansas for five years. The views expressed are those of the writer. She can be reached at abeard@ nwadg.com.