Sunday, September 07, 2008

Happy Grandparents' Day

Looking at my calendar reminded me it's Grandparents' Day here in the US. So here's a virtual hug to all those who've achieved this milestone. A little credit goes to your kids, sure, but I read somewhere that being a grandparent is your reward for not killing your children, LOL, so don't forget to give yourself a pat on the back, too!
I made a reminder to have my kids call their grandmas, and then I thought of my own grandma, the only grandparent I knew. She'd probably want to be remembered as a sweet, church-going, God-fearing lady, full of the heavenly spirit. And, yeah, when I remember Grandma, I think "spirited," but maybe not in the way she'd prefer. :) Grandma was...well, feisty. When the tavern across the street got too loud at night, she'd open her windows and play hymns on her organ. (And no, you can't use that; that's a tidbit for one of MY books!) When solicitors came to her door, she'd give them what-for and send them on their way. Thinking of Grandma makes me smile and hope I inherited some of her genes. She lived into her early 90's and enjoyed good health for the majority of that time.
Grandma also gave me my first Harlequin to read. That story is on the bio page in my books, as well as on my website. So I owe her big-time for starting me down this path. Love you, Grandma.
The hero's mother in my July release, The Fake Fiancee, goes to pretty drastic measures in her quest to become a grandmother. Her antics made me smile, and I could barely wait to see what popped up on my screen when she was in a scene. I'd say she made a scene in more than one sense.
I hope you enjoy this special day. If you're lucky enough to have a grandparent, get in touch today. If you're lucky enough to be a grandparent, congratulate yourself on your restraint when your kids were teens!
And don't forget to share your memories of those wonderful people in your lives. I've shared one of mine here, so it's your turn. Do you have a favorite memory about a grandparent?
Megan Kelly
megankellybooks.com

6 comments:

Marin Thomas said...

Megan

My grandparents used to drive me and my brother in their old station wagon to the local dump outside our small Wisconsin town to watch the black bears dig through the garabge at night. Cars came from all over and would line up on the hill surrounding the dump below and shine their headlights on the bears. Grandma even popped popcorn to take along :-)

Marin
www.marinthomas.com

Megan Kelly said...

That's so funny, Marin. Just like a nature documentary at a drive-in movie, popcorn and all. What a neat story!

Anonymous said...

My grandmother was not an educated woman but she had so much good common sense and a pioneer spirit. I grew up on a ranch in Colorado and she taught me how to cook from the time I could tie on an apron. She also taught me to sew aprons made out of colorful feed sacks. Amd she encouraged me to read for fun, not just for school.
JOYE

Unknown said...

Both my grandmothers were amazing and yet totally opposite. One was from 'the old country' and would quietly teach us values, like baking pies for the bazaar and making sure we had care packages when we'd leave her home. My other grandmother was well Americanized, belonged to several women's organizations and taught us responsibility for family first and then the world, all while making sure we looked good with shoulders back, stomach pulled in and lipstick straight. She passed this characteristics on to my Aunt who watches (bosses) over us all with love and reminds me and one of my cousins that we have the bug (gene) as we worry and try to lead our families (think of horses to water). Write and apply for jobs for my brother, developing marketing schemes for my brother-in-laws business, reading a little part of a book each week to my neice on the phone long distance and trying to lift my son's self-esteem. My Aunt, cousin and I talk about this inheritance from my Grandma - curse or blessing? I just want to add I really my daughter recently made me a grandmother - she bought to kittens. My children are a little older then I was when I married at 21 years of age. Thank god they're not! Just can't picture them specializing in the art of compromise yet.
Kate Barit (Karin Indig)

Megan Kelly said...

Joye, How wonderful your grandma taught you to cook. Those must be special memories now, and you probably have some great family dishes. I only heard stories of my grandma's meals. My mother's favorite is how she (her mother in law) would put a pie in to bake when she sat down for dinner, so by the time dinner was over, my dad had warm pie. My mom didn't continue that tradition. :) Thanks for sharing your story and reminding me of that one.

Megan Kelly said...

Karin, what great women and how lucky you were to have different role models. Have a happy day with your "grandkittens." :)