An odd title, yes it is, but very true. Sometimes I wish I had the mind of a big person (a.k.a. an adult) when I was a little person (a.k.a. a little scoundrel). Naw, I wasn't a little scoundrel...that was my brother <grin>; in fact, most of the time, I was more mature for my age, finding adult company highly more enjoyable than my peers'. I never wanted to be in Sunday school or with the kids during my parents' small group time; I was always with the big people, gleaning from their insights and experiences. And while I more mature for my age (except for fourth grade and my friend, Lauren, can certainly attest to that fact!), I still didn't have the understanding I do today to glean as much as I could from my grandparents and their experiences. And I so wish I had!
To me back then, they were just fun loving adults who spoiled me and loved me A LOT: treating me to chocolate ice cream sodas with chocolate ice cream; always stocking the drawer with a fresh bag of Oreos ready and available for me to partake in; coming to any and every school or church function that they could to cheer me on; letting me play dress up; letting me wake up at insane hours of the morning to play Uno with her; taking me on special trips; or throwing me tea parties for me and my friends. The love expressed is endless and genuine, and deeply treasured to this day.
But it's only been in the last 10 years or so, when my time with them is few and far between, that I began to better appreciate them for who they are and desire to hear about their parents, their childhoods, their marriages, and their experiences in World War II (a lover of history, I am). Those are the things I wish I had the sense to care about when I was little, and particularly the WWII stories. The time to record and journal their stories is fleeting as fast as my whithered rose petals fall to the ground at the slightest touch. My mom's dad, Grampy, passed away before I was born, and my dad's mom, Cita, passed away two years ago next month. Remaining are my mom's mom, Gaga, and Papa, my dad's father.
Every visit I have with them nowadays, I try to ask the questions I wished I had started asking long ago. For instance, this past weekend, me and my brother, Mac, flew out to El Paso to spend a few days with Gaga and also meet up with Papa...it's rather convenient they live in the same area! I won't go into the details of our weekend, but will say that it was quite special and memorable. The conversations that stick out the most are the ones where I just let them talk; I ask questions to trigger some memories and/or get more details, but the questions that just get them talking about the things they love are the best to ask. So on the way to pick Mac up from the airport, I started asking Gaga about her wedding and her early years of marriage as a young war bride, moving from base to base before Grampy was sent overseas to help manage the
"Hump" in Asia, where he saw many men never return from their missions. Gaga told me about the letters they'd write each other, and sadly we forgot, but she was going to show me one of the few remaining letters she saved. While visiting Gaga, we marked what would have been her 65th wedding anniversary to Grampy on May 31st.
I always thought Papa was a weatherman on an airplane carrier in the Pacific, but that was only slightly true. I discovered the full picture this past weekend: he was the weatherman INSIDE a plane that participated in missions in Asia Pacific, as part of the Navy. The aircraft carrier he was originally set to board sunk at sea shortly before he was to report to duty, so he ended up on another one. He spoke very highly of the men he flew regularly with, and up until just recently, had kept in touch with those fellas. While not knowing what it was at the time, he saw the bomber plane that carried the atom bomb, "Little Boy" to Hiroshima stop at his base to refuel before carrying out its mission. Unlike Grampy and Gaga, Papa met Cita after the War, and the older I get, the more I realize that he loved her at first sight. Married nearly 56 years before her passing, he still was simply enamored with my grandmother. I long for more details about my grandparents' lives; if I had the opportunity to extensively interview and journal about their experiences, I would do it in a heart beat. What parts of your grandparents' lives do you wish you knew more about? If they served in the military, do you know what they did?
I close with a precious story Papa shared about a dream he had a couple of weeks ago, which shows not only his love for Cita but also his sense of humor...very dry and sarcastic (I'm just now getting it! <grin>). Like I said, Cita passed away nearly 2 years ago, and while Papa is doing well, we know he misses her deeply and can't wait to be reunited with her in heaven. So in his dream, Papa is standing in heaven at the "pearly gates" waiting to get inside, and Cita happens to be there to greet and meet him. With a smile on her face, she simply says to him, "Well, I thought you'd need someone to vouch for you to get in, so here I am!" He just chuckled, both Mac and I did too, delighting in knowing that that is something his bride would totally do! And what a precious indication of how much he still loves her.
So yes, there are times when I wish I was big when I was little.
To me back then, they were just fun loving adults who spoiled me and loved me A LOT: treating me to chocolate ice cream sodas with chocolate ice cream; always stocking the drawer with a fresh bag of Oreos ready and available for me to partake in; coming to any and every school or church function that they could to cheer me on; letting me play dress up; letting me wake up at insane hours of the morning to play Uno with her; taking me on special trips; or throwing me tea parties for me and my friends. The love expressed is endless and genuine, and deeply treasured to this day.
But it's only been in the last 10 years or so, when my time with them is few and far between, that I began to better appreciate them for who they are and desire to hear about their parents, their childhoods, their marriages, and their experiences in World War II (a lover of history, I am). Those are the things I wish I had the sense to care about when I was little, and particularly the WWII stories. The time to record and journal their stories is fleeting as fast as my whithered rose petals fall to the ground at the slightest touch. My mom's dad, Grampy, passed away before I was born, and my dad's mom, Cita, passed away two years ago next month. Remaining are my mom's mom, Gaga, and Papa, my dad's father.
Every visit I have with them nowadays, I try to ask the questions I wished I had started asking long ago. For instance, this past weekend, me and my brother, Mac, flew out to El Paso to spend a few days with Gaga and also meet up with Papa...it's rather convenient they live in the same area! I won't go into the details of our weekend, but will say that it was quite special and memorable. The conversations that stick out the most are the ones where I just let them talk; I ask questions to trigger some memories and/or get more details, but the questions that just get them talking about the things they love are the best to ask. So on the way to pick Mac up from the airport, I started asking Gaga about her wedding and her early years of marriage as a young war bride, moving from base to base before Grampy was sent overseas to help manage the
"Hump" in Asia, where he saw many men never return from their missions. Gaga told me about the letters they'd write each other, and sadly we forgot, but she was going to show me one of the few remaining letters she saved. While visiting Gaga, we marked what would have been her 65th wedding anniversary to Grampy on May 31st.
I always thought Papa was a weatherman on an airplane carrier in the Pacific, but that was only slightly true. I discovered the full picture this past weekend: he was the weatherman INSIDE a plane that participated in missions in Asia Pacific, as part of the Navy. The aircraft carrier he was originally set to board sunk at sea shortly before he was to report to duty, so he ended up on another one. He spoke very highly of the men he flew regularly with, and up until just recently, had kept in touch with those fellas. While not knowing what it was at the time, he saw the bomber plane that carried the atom bomb, "Little Boy" to Hiroshima stop at his base to refuel before carrying out its mission. Unlike Grampy and Gaga, Papa met Cita after the War, and the older I get, the more I realize that he loved her at first sight. Married nearly 56 years before her passing, he still was simply enamored with my grandmother. I long for more details about my grandparents' lives; if I had the opportunity to extensively interview and journal about their experiences, I would do it in a heart beat. What parts of your grandparents' lives do you wish you knew more about? If they served in the military, do you know what they did?
I close with a precious story Papa shared about a dream he had a couple of weeks ago, which shows not only his love for Cita but also his sense of humor...very dry and sarcastic (I'm just now getting it! <grin>). Like I said, Cita passed away nearly 2 years ago, and while Papa is doing well, we know he misses her deeply and can't wait to be reunited with her in heaven. So in his dream, Papa is standing in heaven at the "pearly gates" waiting to get inside, and Cita happens to be there to greet and meet him. With a smile on her face, she simply says to him, "Well, I thought you'd need someone to vouch for you to get in, so here I am!" He just chuckled, both Mac and I did too, delighting in knowing that that is something his bride would totally do! And what a precious indication of how much he still loves her.
So yes, there are times when I wish I was big when I was little.
