My great-grandmother and I used to walk the 1 kilometre from our holiday apartment to the shop in Umdloti, Durban. Remember that's a very far way to walk for a 2-10 year old (we did it for years) and an old fragile lady. She used to let me walk or run on the sand while she chose the sidewalk or the grass. More stable, she told me. Her old legs couldn't handle sinking into the soft sea sand. Where as I loved it of course! She had so much patience with me...We would each buy a We walked that 1 kilometre together, almost every day, for our favorite secret treat... We would each buy a Caramello Bear (and maybe some bread and milk if we had to) and eat it VERY slowly on our way back to Mount Green #18 (The apartment we lived in) so that no one knew we even bought them in the first place. It was our little secret! My great-grandmother and I did this for years and years... and as I grew older and stronger... she grew older and weaker. Until we couldn't really do it anymore. But still she would go down to the beach with me and sit on a towel under the umbrella watching me build sand castles and putting sunscreen on my body.
Not everyone has the privilege of even knowing their great-grandparents. My great-grandfather passed away when I was 6 months old. We have photo's of us together though. My great-grandmother passed away when I was 16 years old. And I spent as much time as I could with her in those 16 years we had together... I wouldn't swap it for anything.
Never take your family for granted. They won't always be there. Then you'll end up 'never seeing a Caramello Bear the same again.'
=D
1 comment:
I had the privilege of knowing my great-grandmother for 21 solid years. She was always there for me, she was the only one in my family who had nothing but kind words. I loved her dearly and now I miss her. But looking at the pictures or just remembering her makes me realize how lucky I was to have such a wonderful person in my life.
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