Yesterday was my Grammies' birthday. If she were still alive, she would have wanted to be with me yesterday walking down the greenway with orange, red, and yellow leaves covering the trees, a nip of cool weather in the air, the dampness of a recent rain underfoot, and Rowan happily riding his tricycle showing off his ever-increasing strength and stamina. She would have wanted to be with me when Rowan and I spent almost half an hour in the swing together, working our way to the highest height either of us dared. She would have wanted to help us look for turtles and fish in the pond in front of us, and she would have filled her pockets with all the treasures Rowan found -- a beautiful leaf, an acorn, and a pine cone (and then she would have muttered some bad words about Grampies and how he loves to burn things like pine cones and how he gets the fire so big she thinks he must be a pyromaniac).
There are so many things Grammies loved. Trees were definitely one of them. She also loved taking the grandkids to swing at the park, and she loved the Air Force. She tied those to two things together by singing the Air Force song whenever she'd push us on the swings. This was often on the Air Force base near their house, where we could sit on the swings and watch the jets take off and land just across the road. The noise was deafening, and even from Grammies' and Grampies' house the sound of jets overhead could be heard at all hours of the day and night. They never minded it. Grammies regularly commented that it was music to her ears because it's the sound of people who love America working hard to keep us safe.
Another thing Grammies loved was being right. I came by this honestly, you see? ;-) My dissertation dedication reads,
To Mildred Elizabeth Newberry (1927–2008), my grandmother and best friend. Grammies, I wish you were still here so you could see that you were right all along. I did do it.
I guess most of all, my strongest memories are of how much she loved making her grandchildren happy. When we'd go on road trips or just out for a day to fish, it wasn't her own needs she looked after; it was ours. She'd visit amusement parks even though she never rode a single ride. She sat by the pool for hours while Julie and I swam even though Grammies herself never got in. She found happiness in our happiness.
Being able to see the world through Grammies' eyes helps me very often not to take things for granted. Remembering how exuberantly she enjoyed us helps me to exuberantly enjoy my own child. Remembering how staunchly she loved me helps me to love myself even when I let me down. Remembering her love of trees helps me to stop and take them into my soul even more. Thanks, Grammies, and happy birthday.