With Grandparents Day on September 9, our staff decided to share special memories of their grandparents. Be sure to give your grandma or grandpa a hug, or at least a phone call, on Sunday and let them know how much you care.

FROM KIM HARDING: “I was very fortunate in that both sets of grandparents lived within 30 minutes of my home growing up.  Needless to say, I was very spoiled, never had a “paid” babysitter or any sort of daycare, and had more love in my life than any child could ever dream of.
I told them things like, “Mom lets me have chocolate ice cream for breakfast,” and they pretended like they believed me. I wanted to have tea parties, but it would only be fun if we hauled all of the tables, chairs and tea up the ladder onto the part of the roof that was flat ... so that’s what we did! We played Old Maid for hours on end, and when I pretended like the Old Maid card must be missing from the deck (when it was really stuffed under my leg), of course they agreed.
I feel like the precious time that I spent with my patient, kind grandparents molded me into the person I am today. Grandparents have a calm and caring type of parenting that only they can provide for their grandchildren — because they get to send them home at the end of the day!”

FROM DAVID BOONE: “Some of the best memories I have is going hunting with my grandpa every year when I was younger.  My two brothers and I would all cram inside Papa’s truck and go visit his best friend down in Georgia. We’d spend the mornings out in the deer stand, the afternoons riding four wheelers, and the evenings fishing. Even though my Grandma never went hunting with us, I still have plenty of good memories with her as well. My favorite memories with her are the ones where we stayed up late at night playing cards, listening to all the stories she had to share. My grandma is the queen of cards, and for that reason I’m not embarrassed to say that even today she can still beat me at a game of spades.”

FROM PAMELA BROWNSTEIN: “I have always admired my dad’s mom, my Grandma Loretta. When her first two boys were only 5 and 3, her husband died and she had to raise my dad and uncle on her own. Then she got remarried and had two more boys, and all four are smart, fun, successful men with good families, and that was all due to my grandma. She was energetic and determined and her boys knew she was the boss — and at 87, she still is just as sassy as ever! She’s been through a lot and she’s taught me a lot, and we’ve always had a strong bond because I was her first granddaughter.”