You know what I’m talking about… Thanksgiving! And let’s not forget the sometimes-overlooked holiday, (but certainly not by me, because it is devoted to shopping) Black Friday!
I was thinking about my traditions for Thanksgiving, and what I am thankful for, and I started thinking about my great-grandparents, Homer and Elizabeth. I realized that I am very lucky to have them as such a big part of my life. Now in their later 80s, they are in excellent health.
My great-grandmother, or Grannie as I call her, is an amazing person that I was named for. She can cook like no other (and that is one of the best things about Thanksgiving). She makes everything from peppermint ice-cream pie, steak and gravy, and candy bar cake, to peanut butter kisses, milkshakes, and sweet potato soufflé. Grannie is also an amazing gardener. Her yard is full of beautiful flowers, and neatly trimmed bushes and trees. She also climbs trees to get figs so she can make fig preserves. She insists on cutting her own grass, and her dress-code of long skirts and dressy shirts and cardigans doesn’t get in her way.
My great-grandfather, Grandaddy, is a bookworm, and reads more than anyone I know. He can sometimes read up to three novels per week. It amazes me that he is such an incredible reader even though he didn’t have the opportunity to complete school after the seventh grade. He is very loving, and always has candy for my brother and I when we leave. A couple of years ago, he got me a life-sized doll called “Patty Play Pal” for a gift, and it was all his idea. He saw it in a magazine, and knew he wanted to get it for me. He also loves to joke, and pull pranks. His favorite is to answer the phone in some funky way when he knows it is one of us like, “Hello….? Hello….?.” He has a favorite chair in their den that he always sits in. We finally bought him a light to go with it so he could see better to read, and that has become an addition to his chair.
My great-grandparents are very fun-loving people, and they are a very big part of my life. They live very close to us, so we can visit them often, and would love to see them more than we do. I love them both very much, and I always look forward to seeing them.
Questions, comments, or suggestions?
Email me at…everythingella@outlook.com
Ella Thomas is a rising 7th Grader at Crews Middle School and freelance writer.
