Each morning I try to begin the day aware and in deep thought of the abundance of my life
this morning...the outside temperatures are frigid and a light snow is falling...so I begin...
with my fluffy goose down comforter...and then my mind wanders
to my grandmother
Beatrice
I take a stroll through her home as if I am walking through her front door
she lived in the same house my entire life
and I promise you...she felt blessed...she told me so often
she would sing to me
"count your blessings count them one by one"
Her home was nice and she had nice things
but she had the same things forever
which makes it easy for me to remember
I inherited a few things from her
these chairs and this Duncan Phyfe table have been together side by side
my entire life
No new Pottery Barn couches or pillows or baskets or dishes or the latest trendy trend
really nothing new at all...she had the same things
with which she always seemed to be satisfied
I am somewhat sad that I felt the need to have her chairs recovered
because today
that old wonderful gold velvet would be so beautiful with this 1960 wallpaper I decided to save
As I mentally travel through her rooms I realize how important it is for me to remember
the way it looked
the way it smelled
and the way I still feel about it all today
it's easy...because it was simple and it was the same and I never want to forget
the two rose vases to the right belonged to her and her mother before her
I would imagine she thought they were the most beautiful things she'd ever seen
and to my knowledge...these are the two she had and she put her own garden grown flowers in them often
she made this iris collage when she was around 40 and I thought she was old
I painted this for her when I was 8
it hung in her den until I got it back
she was so proud of it...no expensive artwork for her
she only had one cookbook
pieces of paper that she wrote down ingredients and used forever
collected in a cloth binder that she stitched
her written word is so precious to me
Recently I came across her glasses
and now I use them as my readers every single day
no....I can't really see so good out of them
but it is very important to me to use them
because my hope is
I see what she saw through them, the way she saw through them
a life simply
elegantly
lived
PURA VIDA
21 comments:
I loved this post, Gina. You really touched my heart with your thoughts today.
Such a beautiful post. My kids remember their Nanny's house in the same way. I'm always changing things up. This makes me want to keep a few things the same so my babies will remember Bonbon.
When I had my country kitchen, I had an old pie safe with all the red and white enamel pots and pans. My niece and nephew still remember playing with all of them and mixing and cooking with the red handled utensils. I wish I still had those.
Gina thank you for sharing this memoir with us! I can see how much you treasure your grandmother!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Lovely Story!!!
Marina
Your grandmother sounds like she was simple and humble. I love that.What a touching post!!
I wish I could bottle my grandmother home smell and remember life being much simpler.
xo Marissa
Family pieces - it's these family heirlooms that make a home special. Thanks for sharing your grandmother's treasures with us. Your gallery wall is quite special, Gina. Take care, L
So wonderful that you are able to feel closer to your grandmother this way. Because I'm from an immigrant family, there are no things to be passed on from earlier generations
Gina, this post is SO SWEET! I totally get it. Earlier this week, I emailed my mom and said I wished I could have dinner at my grandparent's home...and told her what I wish I could eat. My grandmother was a great cook. My mom was surprised I could remember her food, so I emailed her back and listed a good many things I remembered and treasured, sort of like your trip through your grandmother's home. I love it that you use her readers to see through her eyes. I know this pleases her very much. :)
Thanks for the kind words about my blog. I absolutely love the way you wrote about your lovely Grandmother. How fortunate you both were to have each other. I had a special Grandmother like that, and I try to live with grace, as she did.
I will be stopping by again, if you don't mind. :)
And by the way, we have that Duncan Phyfe table in our living room. We bought it at a home sale, and I love it! Best, Kathleen
What a wonderful post, Gina. I can tell how much you loved her. We are so blessed when we have good grandparents. How wonderful that you have things to remember her by- xo Diana
Those items are so important to keep because of their history. Oh Gina, your home must be so magical! Anita
Gina,
An appreciation of your Grandmother that warmed my heart reading your post. I admire people who live such a simple and humble lifestyle. For they are the ones who oftentimes when remembered are the deepest realizations of a life well lived.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Vera
What a beautiful thoughtful and loving tribute to your grandmother. Our history is what it is all about! Love, Nancy
Gina, that kind of positive thinking is what we all need to do more of! I love your attitude and your grandmother's treasures :)
Stacy
How blessed you are to have a grandmother like her! What a sweet tribute to her memory. I love this post!
This is an awesome post. She sounds like she was a wonderful lady :-)
...traigo
ecos
de
la
tarde
callada
en
la
mano
y
una
vela
de
mi
corazón
para
invitarte
y
darte
este
alma
que
viene
para
compartir
contigo
tu
bello
blog
con
un
ramillete
de
oro
y
claveles
dentro...
desde mis
HORAS ROTAS
Y AULA DE PAZ
COMPARTIENDO ILUSION
CON saludos de la luna al
reflejarse en el mar de la
poesía...
ESPERO SEAN DE VUESTRO AGRADO EL POST POETIZADO DE 12 AÑOS DE ESCLAVITUD, MASTER AND COMMANDER, LEYENDAS DE PASIÓN, BAILANDO CON LOBOS, ...
José
Ramón...
It's really a beautiful home
kisses
www.welovefur.com
Love this tribute to your grandmother and a time when things were acquired to last a lifetime. I wonder if our grandchildren will have the same kind of memories attached to things from our homes when we are gone or will we have had too much for any one thing to be significant?
My Grandmother was special and precious to me. She passed in 1996 and I still miss her so much and I cherished her few things I have.
Thanks for reminding us what is special in life
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