Now, I think I've mentioned before that my Grandma wasn't your sweet, little doting old lady. She had a difficult life, clung to some bitterness and could be downright difficult when she wanted to, but I adored her. She was one of the strongest, hardest working , most determined and most constant people I will ever know, and I like to think that I inherited some of those qualities.
Despite the fact that she wasn't the doting type, I believe she would have adored Charlie. For one thing, like me she thought Jason hung the moon, but I think their bond would have gone beyond the DNA, because they truly have a lot in common.
They both love yardwork: Grandma her gardening, Charlie his weed-eating. They both love fiction: Grandma her "stories", Charlie his books. They both love puzzles: Grandma completing them, Charlie dumping them all over the floor...not to mention the fact that Grandma was my primary supplier for sausage, macaroni & cheese, and icecream, Charlie's all-time favorite foods.
Perhaps it was the fact that we shared a macaroni & cheese dinner, just the two of us last night, like I did so many times with Grandma, but I had the idea to initiate Charlie into one of my very favorite traditions that I shared with her -- Strawberries & Powdered Sugar.
You see, this is more than just a snack, but a whole process, because despite the fact that toddlers and powdered sugar are quite possibly the two messiest things in the world, you have to let them dip their own strawberries. Then you laughingly pat their back when they cough on the powdered sugar and pretend to be stern when they blow it across the table, just like Grandma did.
I'm definitely sorry that Charlie will never know my Grandma, but so grateful that I can pass on her love for me to him through time and traditions and laughter, until he meets her someday in heaven.
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