Grandma Cookie Memories

I just wanted to write a short blog late tonight. My great grandma passed away early Thursday morning. For the first time since I left, I really feel like being home for a bit.

It's a little rough that I can't go home, but that's ok, because that can't stop me from keeping in touch with my family back home and from remembering great memories that I will always have.

As always, especially with my family, funny stories and general comedy are what get us through the toughest times. Memouse shared a couple of stories with me earlier today and it made me think, these stories that we share, we try to paint the most human and colorful stories that we have of someone to honor them, and that of course usually involves comedy. And then I though of my own stories of Grandma Cookie...

How she got her name first of all. Everyone else in my family called her Granny. I refused to, she was always G. Cookie probably because as most people visiting their Grandma's house, I asked for and was offered cookies... yum. The windmill variety was my favorite, sometimes oatmeal raisin. I had many a cookie while being watched when I was being watched all through elementary school by Grandma Cookie. I have so many memories there, too many to mention...

Then there are the random things you remember about a person, memories that don't mean much to anyone but you. For me, the most dear was being shown how to make a church and then a steeple and then...wait for it...wait for it...that's right, I was amazed at the first time I opened it and there were the people (if you don't know what I'm talking about, google it). This was my most representative memory of spending time with Grandma Cookie when I was younger. We also watch the price of right DAILY (her favorite was plinko, so is mine). I also believe that I was the only 7-year-old that was addicted to "The Young and the Restless" (I had a big crush on Christine Blair, better known as "Cricket". Anyways, enough babbling....

My last and best memories of Grandma Cookie allowed everything to come full circle. This summer, I was able to see her interact with Tryson. Both of them absolutely loved each other's company. I remembered my bond with her as a young child and it was a great moment. Then last month at the wedding I was able to get away from everyone while we were all still outside getting ready for pictures. I talked with her a little bit, enough to know that she was very happy and of course watching Amber's boys playing, I didn't realize it was the last time we would talk...

I should go, but there is so much to say...I'll just summarize by saying this: Spend as much time as you can with the older generations in your family. If you pick their brains and really sit down and talk, you'll be amazed with how much information and memories you will pick up.

-Chris