The Happiest of Birthdays
I didn't intend to do this post today--I have a really fun one that I'm planning (well, I think it's fun...you know how that goes). But instead, I decided to post about something equally fun. Plus, it gives me a new angle for my blog: people appreciation.
Yep, I know lots of people. Maybe not as many as some, but probably more than others. I know good people, bad people, great people, average people, silly people, happy people...So I think occasionally I might do a post appreciating those people (look for a very similar post in April!).
And today's is incredibly special, because it celebrates one of the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful women I know--my grandma.
Today is my Grandma Fink's birthday, and it does not seem right to celebrate her day without thinking back on all that woman has done for me. She was one of my first teachers (and I don't mean in school...although I am proud to say that I was one of her students then, as well). She taught me how to make chocolate chip cookies. She taught me how to dig in the gravel with an old spoon. She taught me that even just tinkering on a piano was beautiful. She taught me to sing while I worked. She taught me to use my imagination and make my world a better place. (All these lessons came from my parents as well, but parents also have to discipline...grandmas get to indulge!)
My grandma and I shared countless hours in the summers watching South Pacific and The Sound of Music together. She let my siblings and me turn her house into a "hotel" and drag out all her dishes and use her paper clips like keys. She sewed the nightgown I wore as Maria in my high school production of The Sound of Music. She came to every single performance. I think she came to almost every concert any of us grandkids ever had, and she still supports our endeavors. She came to basketball games and track meets and volleyball games. She answered countless questions for my psychology class essay and helped me research our family tree just because I wanted to.
My grandma was my first grade teacher. I don't think anyone in the world reads a storybook the way that my grandma does (and I know lots of teachers!). Any time we had a sleepover at their house, we would bring her at least three picture books to read to us. I can't tell you how many summer days my brother, sister, and I spent roaming around the house and the farm, and she just let us be. She even bought catfood to feed the barn cats we adopted one summer. And you could tell when she was mad about something--boy oh boy! Like most teachers, she had (still has) The Look.
Part of the reason I went into education surrounds my grandmother. I can remember grading papers with her at the kitchen table and helping mail back graded homework in her classroom. I can even remember specific lessons she taught and things that we did that I have tried to emulate as a teacher. After my parents, she was the first person I told when I got the part of Maria (she knew just how much I wanted it), and she was the first person I called when I found out where I was student teaching and after I got my first teaching job.
She has taught me how to be a good person through her example. She has taught me how to laugh and make simple things beautiful. It sounds cliche, but I truly believe I wouldn't be the same person without her. Happy birthday, Grandma! I love you :)
Stay gold!
Yep, I know lots of people. Maybe not as many as some, but probably more than others. I know good people, bad people, great people, average people, silly people, happy people...So I think occasionally I might do a post appreciating those people (look for a very similar post in April!).
And today's is incredibly special, because it celebrates one of the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful women I know--my grandma.
Today is my Grandma Fink's birthday, and it does not seem right to celebrate her day without thinking back on all that woman has done for me. She was one of my first teachers (and I don't mean in school...although I am proud to say that I was one of her students then, as well). She taught me how to make chocolate chip cookies. She taught me how to dig in the gravel with an old spoon. She taught me that even just tinkering on a piano was beautiful. She taught me to sing while I worked. She taught me to use my imagination and make my world a better place. (All these lessons came from my parents as well, but parents also have to discipline...grandmas get to indulge!)
My grandma and I shared countless hours in the summers watching South Pacific and The Sound of Music together. She let my siblings and me turn her house into a "hotel" and drag out all her dishes and use her paper clips like keys. She sewed the nightgown I wore as Maria in my high school production of The Sound of Music. She came to every single performance. I think she came to almost every concert any of us grandkids ever had, and she still supports our endeavors. She came to basketball games and track meets and volleyball games. She answered countless questions for my psychology class essay and helped me research our family tree just because I wanted to.
My grandma was my first grade teacher. I don't think anyone in the world reads a storybook the way that my grandma does (and I know lots of teachers!). Any time we had a sleepover at their house, we would bring her at least three picture books to read to us. I can't tell you how many summer days my brother, sister, and I spent roaming around the house and the farm, and she just let us be. She even bought catfood to feed the barn cats we adopted one summer. And you could tell when she was mad about something--boy oh boy! Like most teachers, she had (still has) The Look.
Part of the reason I went into education surrounds my grandmother. I can remember grading papers with her at the kitchen table and helping mail back graded homework in her classroom. I can even remember specific lessons she taught and things that we did that I have tried to emulate as a teacher. After my parents, she was the first person I told when I got the part of Maria (she knew just how much I wanted it), and she was the first person I called when I found out where I was student teaching and after I got my first teaching job.
She has taught me how to be a good person through her example. She has taught me how to laugh and make simple things beautiful. It sounds cliche, but I truly believe I wouldn't be the same person without her. Happy birthday, Grandma! I love you :)
Stay gold!
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