by Faith Draper

Created on: October 05, 2008   Last Updated: January 22, 2011

Reflections of Grandparents can be bittersweet. On one hand grandparents can be better than best friends. They don’t judge or lecture (at least mine didn’t) like parents tend to do but they are adults so can be great fun to hang-out with before you have a driver’s license. The sad thing is they are usually old and our time on earth to enjoy them is often short.

Reflecting back on my own grandparents even now that I am a grandparent myself I realize what an impact they had on my life. I was blessed to have four grandparents in my life that I always knew loved me with all their hearts. Not once did I ever question their love for me. Each one was very unique in their own way and each showed their love and devotion to me in their own way.  Because of that, each grandparent left me special memories of their very own, each one uniquely them.

This is a small bit about two of my grandparents:

My paternal grandfather was in my mind a tall handsome man with a soft voice that always called me his little princes'. Over the years I heard him call many things but none of them fit my description of him; cad, womanizer, skirt chaser, drunk, and useless hillbilly were some of the nicer names I heard him called. It never once altered my opinion of him though, he was my Grandpa, he loved me, and I loved him.

Grandma on the other hand was a very strong outspoken lady. I can't imagine anyone ever crossing her or disagreeing with her because I'm sure they would regret it later. It didn't matter though with me she was always firm but I think when no one else was around did her best to spoil me too. I know she loved me.

The story I heard about my grandparents was Grandma saw this handsome man and fell in love. It was truly love at first sight. When she married him her family disowned her because he, Grandpa, came from the wrong side of the tracks. Maybe he did, I mean I have to admit Grandpa's claim to fame was even in his 70s he was in his own words, "jus as good look'n as ever". And even though my Grandparents divorced before I was born I know in my heart that Grandma went to her grave still in love with him.

When they married Grandma and Grandpa lived in a little shack in the back hills of Kentucky. Life was so difficult for them that when my father's youngest sisters, twins, were born Grandma and Grandpa gave up their oldest daughter for adoption to Grandma's sister who couldn't have children and could give her all the luxuries of life my grandparents couldn't.

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