Grandparents Day♥

Hey! So, for Grandparents Day (which I didn't even really know existed until I actually looked at my nifty agenda that I am going to keep religiously this year, unlike every single year before now... I just can't remember anything anymore!) I am going to tell you a little bit about four of the most influential people in my life, my grandparents! I currently have two living grandparents, both of my grandmothers. They are my example and exactly what I want to be when I grow up!

My Grandaddy Kerr (My Mom's Dad) passed away before I was born. But I still consider him very influential in my life. I've heard so many stories about my Grandaddy. He was a kind, quiet person. He never raised his voice, but you knew that when he said something, he meant business. He loved all of his kids with his whole heart, and no one ever doubted that about Him. He was never afraid to shoot for the stars, but he always made sure that the family was taken care of first. He opened his own concrete company, Kerr's HRM Concrete. He was a person of integrity, strength, and a heart for God. He instilled all of those virtues into his entire family. I wish I could have met him!

My Mom's Mom, my Nana, is such a special person, and my very best friend. I can remember having sleepovers at her house even from when I was little, and we'd sit and watch movies and eat popcorn and talk for hours about anything and everything. She'd sit and brush my hair back with her fingers until I fell asleep every night. And every morning she'd get up early just to make me cinnamon toast, my favorite. She's always be so interested in anything I have to say, no matter what it was. She makes me laugh like no one else can. If I ever have a bad day, she automatically knows how to make everything better again. Her advice is always the very best, and everyone loves her. All of my friends even call her Nana! She's the kind of person who demands respect when she walks into the room, and she carries herself with such dignity and grace, I only hope to inherit that quality someday. She invests in every single person she meets, (even the waitresses at restaurants!) and is always more than willing to offer them a helping hand. She just turned 87 last Saturday, and she still works every single day. She is the President of a concrete company, Kerrs HRM Concrete, that my Grandaddy started over 60 years ago. Up until recently, she used to eat breakfast at the Snackbar every single day, and sometimes dinner. I love going with her. Everyone that knows 'Miz Helen' loves her to death. On Saturday mornings, we go eat at Cracker barrel. It's one of my favorite times of the week. I love to sit and listen to her talk about anything, but especially when she tells me stories of what it was like growing up on the farm for her and her 12 brothers and sisters. And if you ever need to know anything about anyone, I'm pretty positive she'll know the answer. No one can make blackberry dumplings quite like she can, and when she cooks, she doesn't even measure anything. She organizes our HUGE family reunion the Saturday before Mother's Day every single year. We take up an entire church fellowship hall down in 'the country' where she grew up! She's the one that keeps our family together as we grow. She's an amazing person, and I've learned so many life lessons just by being blessed enough to experience my life with her there. I love her so much!

My Gramma, my Dad's Mom, is also an amazing person. I love nothing more than to sit and listen to her tell me stories of her life when she was younger. Gramma was originally born in Estonia, and they came over during WWII. She's quiet, and reserved, but she loves people more than anyone else. She really cares about what's going on in our lives. She has many hobbies, and somehow she's good at every single one of them. She makes beautiful jewelry, takes gorgeous photos, and even makes candles! She raised four boys, and she's strong. Her parents, my great-grandparents, used to live right down the street from them. The way she cared for her Mother and Father was amazing to me. They both passed away when I was younger, but I'll never forget the way she looked at her Mother, who couldn't talk for the entire time I knew her because she had had a stroke. I've only seen that look in her eyes one other time, when she was caring for my Papa. Her respect has to be earned, but once she respects you, she always will. She makes up her mind about things, and there's no stopping her. She loves pictures, both taking them and receiving them from other people. She grew up fast because she had to, but it doesn't keep her from having joy now. She loves her Jesus and has a heart for God that I really admire. She loves giving, and nothing thrills her more than to be able to send her grandkids away with some new trinket whenever we get together. She does everything she can to make sure we all are taken care of before she even considers her own needs. She's been through more than most, but she doesn't let anything stop her. She's tough, but sweet at the same time. I hope I can be like her one day in so many ways.

This will be my second Grandparents Day without my Papa. We lost Papa two years ago this Thanksgiving, and we all miss him terribly. Papa worked hard at what he did, and stood up for everything he believed. He taught me how to pick myself up after I fall, but also that it was okay to have someone help dust you off after that fall. He taught me how to play in the mud and hunt for four leaf clovers. He was the only Grandpa I'd ever have, and He made sure he did that job well. Every time we'd go visit Papa and Grandma, he'd sneak away with us to the woods behind their old house and we'd take nature walks. He always pointed out the coolest things that I would have missed, like how the sun was shining through the leaves at a certain angle, or the little bug on the leaf, or the rings in the fallen trees. I learned my fascination for the small things from him. When we would go up to the Cabin on Luckadoo Mountain, Papa would hitch up the trailer to the back of his jeep and all of the grandkids would pile in it. He'd drive us down the curvy, gravel roads of the mountain and back up again, just so that he could see us laugh. I'll never forget the way he smelled, or how he always felt so strong when I hugged him. He called all of us grandkids 'messes'. I was 'Mess #6' Since none of us were the same age, He'd always say "You're my favorite ___ year old granddaughter, you know." And we'd always laugh and tell him that we were his only granddaughter that age. Some of my favorite memories with my Papa were when we would go up to the cabin, we had a tree swing. All of us always wanted Papa to push us because we knew he could get us the highest. But we were never scared of going higher, because we knew that Papa would keep us safe, and would never let us get hurt. He'd take us on walks down to the 'crooked tree' and make up some wild story about why the trunk grew so twisted. He would call every Sunday night and always wanted to talk to each and every one of us. He always called me Sayruh, and I loved the way he said my name. He was my constant when I went through some of the toughest times in my life, and my strength when I didn't think I had anymore. He loved God with all He had, and he made sure to instill that in all of us. I miss him terribly every single day, and I often think about everything that he would have loved to have seen. He would have loved to see my two cousins graduate from college, me being the drum major of the band, my oldest cousin getting married in March. He would have been so proud of all of us, and where we're going. I love him very much, and I cannot wait to see him again one day.

So there you have it. Each of my grandparents represents a piece of me and is a huge reason that I am who I am today. I love them all and I couldn't be more blessed than to have the family that I do have. Happy Grandparents Day!

Gramma♥

Nana♥

My Grandmothers♥

My sweet Papa and Gramma.

I love & miss you Papa♥