Grama

A legacy lives on.

A special spelling of a beloved name.

"Grama" is how my niece first wrote to my mom, and how Mom has signed hundreds, if not thousands of cards and gift tags over the past 20 or so years to her 9 grandchildren. It is unusual, and it sets her apart from other "Grandma" types. That is only one of many things. :) I have occasionally thought about being "Grandma" to my granddaughters. (I can explain later on about how it is I am 39 with granddaughters.) I have slowly adapted to this phenomenon. I take the girls when I can. We have tea parties, go to the park and swimming, and I almost always bake for them. It is my "ideal" grandmothering. :)

Today, I was given a gift by one of my granddaughters. I have had them visiting since Friday. Through a long series of circumstances, Ruth and I took a nap this afternoon. The girls, ages 8 & 7, had slept in the car, and occupied themselves by coloring. (Brian was awake, so there was supervision. No deadbeat grandmotherly types here.) Later on, I was clearing the table for dinner. Here is a picture that "Spike" made for me:

On the back was written: "I Love Grama so much That I can Be hur duaghter for ever".

Did you get it? "Grama" not "Grandma". It took me beyond the respectful tone, and made it special, VERY SPECIAL. I am "Grama" because a little girl loves me so much to name me. It is not just the name supplied in a respectful manner because I am married to "Grandpa". It is a bond shared between two people that love each other.

And boy, do I love those girls.

Grama