DEAR GRAM,

“There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it with.” - Unknown

This year, I wanted to give you the gift of everyone. It’s about taking a moment to give back the memories you’ve given me. Thank you for all the quirky, fun, and loving moments over the years!

Thank you for teaching me you can fit 20+ people in your home, at a small kitchen table for Thanksgiving and every other holiday. All you need is some leafs to put in the table, extra chairs, foot stools as chairs and a family that can just sit anywhere. I’m honestly not sure how we celebrated all the holidays in your kitchen - but it worked. And there were always naps on the comfy couch to follow.

Thank you for teaching me you can throw tinsel on Christmas trees. Who knew? My kids sure won’t. With your tree lit in the front of the those big windows, it seemed the fun part came from tossing the tinsel. At our house we had the fat silver garland, but at your house it was like confetti everywhere.

Thank you for teaching me peanut butter kiss cookies can’t be made by anyone other than you. This isn’t a joke. I’ve had 1 Million and I’ve never had any that have tasted like yours. Maybe it’s the baking sheets?

Thank you for teaching me to always have a candy drawer available - when someone needs it. Because, honestly, the person that needs it most now is me! It was no surprise we all knew how to break into your house and it was so convenient - after school practice, bathroom breaks, but more importantly to grab a quick snack!

Thank you for teaching me there needs to be a calm in the storm. This could be when people jump off roofs, people pass out, police don’t know police phone numbers and there is blood everywhere. There needs to be some calm, regardless of the storm.