Legacy of Love . . .

Only the heart knows how to find what is precious. ~ Dostoyevsky

Recently, I was organizing a box of very old family photographs and found the image above. The sweet little girl is my dear grandmother-in-law and my Mr. Z’s grandmother. As I sat looking at the image, I realized I have been very lucky to have had two biological grandmothers in my life, and one beloved grandmother-in-law. In my eyes these three remarkable grandmothers were all lifetime achievers in the Best Grandmother’s Club!

My kind-hearted grandmother-in-law lived through a world of major changes during her 90 years of living on this earth. As a young woman, she lost her husband in 1939 from post-surgical complications that left her a single mother with two pre-teen daughters. Being a strong, independent woman, she created a lifetime of memories as a splendid scrapbook of life’s treasured moments, and of course with a few struggles filed too.

As I shared the images with Mr. Z, a few of his favorite memories came to mind . . . her gentle spirit and grandmotherly ways, boxes of Nabisco Ginger Snap cookies that she shared freely with her seven grandsons, her love of flowers and the blooming lilacs that adorned her back yard with color and scented the air, enjoying a scrumptious lunch on her wooden patio swing while being serenaded by songbirds, the red roses she so lovingly persevered sent from her husband on the same day he suddenly passed away, and her love of The Beatle’s Sargent Pepper album, especially the song – When I’m Sixty Four!   

When she became my precious grandmother-in-law, she had reached a point in her life where she was content to just be. She had nothing to prove, because she had lived well and had gained a wealth of hard-earned wisdom which she often shared with us – a young married couple. She wanted us to truly savor and love life, which we continue to work on each day. Thank you, grandmother for the splendid advice!

On this upcoming Mother’s Day, along with honoring our precious mothers, we will also be celebrating and cherishing our grandmother’s love, strengths, their courage, and determination. And to my readers, I am grateful to all the mothers, grandmothers and motherly figures because you continue to inspire your families every day while making your homes the happiest place to be. Happy Mother’s Day with much love!

Now, with my box of photographs neatly organized this song will be playing ever so softly in our minds – take it away Ringo Starr . . .

Photograph
Every time I see your face
It reminds me of the places we used to go
All I've got is a photograph
And I realize you're not coming back anymore
I thought I'd make it
The day you went away
But I can't make it
'Til you come home again to stay
I can't get used to living here
While my heart is broke, my tears, I cry for you
I want you here to have and hold
As the years go by, and we grow old and gray
Now you're expecting me
To live without you
But that's not something
That I'm looking forward to
I can't get used to living here
While my heart is broke, my tears, I cry for you
I want you here to have and hold
As the years go by, and we grow old and gray
Every time I see your face
It reminds me of the places we used to go
All I've got is a photograph
And I realize you're not coming back anymore
Every time I see your face
It reminds me of the places we used to go
But all I've got is a photograph
And I realize you're not coming back anymore
Every time I see your face
It reminds me of the places we used to go
Songwriters: Richard Starkey, George Harrison.