Events That Shape Our Lives: Visiting Grandma and Grandpa

I loved visiting my grandparents in West Virginia.  My grandma said I used to cry "Alligator Tears" when it was time to go home.

Even the trip from Michigan was fun.  My brother and I would play the license plate game.  We would try and find as many of the 50 states that we could.  This was a ritual everytime we went to visit them.  My Dad would be listening to his 8-tracks and we would sing along.  A little John Denver.  A little Neil Diamond.  A little Beach Boys.  It didn't matter. 

We would pull onto the road going to their house and my heart would jump!  It didn't matter if it was the middle of the night or the morning.  When the car stopped I would jump out!  Everyone knew there were cookies waiting!

We went to church.  We went fishing at Trout Pond.  We went to Cass Railroad.  We went to Seneca Caverns.  We worked on the flowers.  We went to JP's to buy Hubba Bubbha Bubble Gum.  We split beans.  We canned pickles.  We visited family.  We played with some of the kids from church.   We watched Nascar Racing.  After church we would look for deer.  Mostly, we just spent time together, ending every night with a prayer before we went to bed.

Then there was the Wheel Horse!  I used to love it when my grandpa would mow the grass.  They had a huge amount of property and he would let me ride with him while he mowed!  Every kid who came to visit had at least one ride on that thing!  Even my kids had the experience. 

And, my grandma's cooking!  Homemade everything!  Vegetables right from their garden.  Meat from my Uncle's farm.  Lunchmeat from Hazel's.  Potato Pancakes.  Vegetable Soup.  Macaroni and Cheese.  Peach Cobbler.  Blackberry Cobbler.  Church Window Cookies.  There was no substitute!  My grandma definitely knew her way around the kitchen! 

I don't really know what it was about my grandpa and grandma's house, but I loved it.  It was never just one thing.  I loved it all!  People came over just to visit.  No one was in a rush to get anywhere, because it took forever to get to the nearest store.  Family was important.  Spending time together was important.  God was at the center of it all. Things weren't as important as people were.  Sometimes I wish I could have that time back.  The hustle and bustle of city living can be draining.