Grandmas and Grandpas

    There's nothing like a good Grandma and Grandpa! The good cooking alone made the long trip across the State worth the heat of the Summer days. Oh! What cherished memories I have traveling with my family, every single year, to Kansas, to see my Grandparents! Five, count them, five children piled in the backseat and Mom and Dad in the front on the long seat with no seat belts.  With all of the coloring books and crayons one small child could carry. My sister and I were little enough to fit on each side on the floor with our pillows and dollies, while the other three were situated on the back seat with my older sister in the middle of my two brothers. No seat belts, no restraints, just the sound of voices that truly loved each other. It helped knowing my dad was a 26th year Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, so no one ever really got out of line. Ha! We would always leave around 4:00 a.m. so Dad wouldn't have to fight traffic. I would still be quite sleepy when we set out and get lulled into slumber by the highway lights that I counted until I fell back asleep. I think that was the plan all along. All the kids were to tired to fight and it would be a pleasant quiet drive for the many miles we would have to travel. 

     My cousins lived all around my Grandparents, so it was like an annual reunion every single year! Seeing my cousins and getting to play till after dark in front of my Grandparents house was always looked forward to, and oh! the delicious food that all of my Aunt's and Mother and Grandma made!  The aroma from the kitchen was Heaven in itself. The whole house was filled with German speaking, as my Grandparents were from Germany. My Grandmother didn't speak a lick of English, and I could tell that my mother and her brothers and sisters looked forward to talking to them in German. Before each meal, the whole table had to say a decade of the Rosary before we ate. It was truly one of the greatest memories I think I'll ever have! Both my Grandma and Grandpa were truly an inspiration to me as a child and I thank God that they were a part of my life. 

     St Anne and St Joachim have their feast day today! The Heavens are rejoicing as the Souls traveling to Heaven get to partake in this joyous day. The car trip that took each of them from Earth to Heaven proved to be a wonderful reunion with the Heavenly family. Uniting all in Love with that family, including Grammy and Grandpa. We remember them with great reverence and prayer this day. Thanking our beloved God for our own Grandparents.

     Sts. Anne and Joachim, I love you, pray for us!