My husband Alan, my son Nicholas, and I just returned from a vacation with my mom in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. I was born in Bloomsburg, yet I grew up in Florida. This was the first time I visited my hometown as an adult and the visit filled me with many memories, especially of my grandparents. Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, whom we all called Nanny and Pap. I was the first granddaughter and for a long time I was the only granddaughter because everyone had children. Needless to say, my Nanny and Dad pampered me, especially my Nanny. They took me with them everywhere. I remember spending every weekend with them when I was a kid. We would go out to dinner at fancy restaurants and every Saturday my babysitter and I would go “hassle.” That was the term she used to describe our Saturday outings, which usually consisted of a trip to Zayre’s, where she would always buy me a new Barbie doll or Strawberry Shortcake doll, some clothes, and then lunch. I loved those weekends with my grandparents.

The only thing I liked to do with them the most was travel. During the summer, they took me on a trip with them. I loved riding in his Lincoln Continental. They always let me ride in the “hump” of the front seat; you know the two armrests that sat between them. We travel to many places. I remember visiting The Alamo with them, Chattanooga Tennessee, where we had lunch at Chattanooga Choo Choo, Niagara Falls walking through these really cool caves, and Inner Harbor in Baltimore, just to name a few. I was blessed as a child to have been able to travel the country and see so many incredible things. Looking back as an adult, my best memories are the time I spent with them. They taught me a lot about life and love. They loved me very much. Of all the memories I have of them, one of my best memories is a song that my babysitter used to sing to me. “I love you a bushel and a kiss, a bushel and a kiss and a hug on the neck.” She used to sing to me all the time.

With all that said, visiting Bloomsburg was very nostalgic for me. I got to see my babysitter and dad’s old house. It was the house my mom brought me home to from the hospital, where I learned to swim and where I spent a lot of time visiting my grandparents. I also got to see my babysitter’s old real estate office. I remember playing “office” with her there. This time, however, I could see the relationship with my son Nicholas and his grandmother. All the grandchildren call her “Gringen”, a name my daughter made up when she was little. Seeing the two of them together reminded me a lot of me and my babysitter. They love each other so much! Just as my babysitter spoiled me, Gringen spoiled Nicholas. That’s what grandparents do, right? I felt the presence of my babysitter and my dad so strong in Bloomsburg. It made me wish they were still here to watch my children grow up.

While we were there, my mom took us to Ace Renco where she works. It’s a hardware store in Bloomsburg that has a kind of gift shop in the back of the store. It was filled with beautiful handmade items like purses, home decor, and candles. My mom and I were looking at all these beautiful things and I swear I could have bought everything there! As I walked down the aisle that contained adorable handmade baby things, I saw something that made me cry. My mother knew exactly what she was looking at and took it to buy it. Right there in the hardware store in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, there was something he had never seen anywhere else. It was a small wooden box, painted pink with white polka dots and the words “A bushel, a kiss and a hug around the neck.” I like to think that it was a sign that my babysitter was smiling at us from heaven, or the way God reminds me how special grandparents are in our children’s lives.

My grandparents impacted my life in a tremendous way. They were a big part of my life and they helped me become the woman I am today. If you are reading this and have children, I encourage you to make sure that your children spend a lot of time with their grandparents. No matter how you feel about your parents and your parenting skills, parenting for grandparents is very different and the relationship between a child and their grandparents is something they will always treasure. If you are a grandparent, make time for your grandchildren, teach them things that they can only learn from you, and most importantly, love them. You will create memories that will last a lifetime. I am very grateful for my babysitter and my dad and I appreciate all the memories I have of them and I love them- “A bushel, a kiss and a hug around the neck !!

Proverbs 17: 6 “Children’s children are a crown to the elderly.”

Leviticus 19:32 “Get up in the presence of the elders, show respect for the elders and reverence your God, I am the Lord.”

Proverbs 16:31 “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is achieved with a righteous life.”