just got back from helping clean out my grandparent's apartment

[fizzgig]

grandpa passed in august and grandma back in 08, so we made the trek to ny to help clean everything out. it was weird at first to be digging through their drawers and stuffing things in to bags, but i also learned thing some things about my grandparents.

my grandfather's given middle name was mortimer. that blew us all away. grandma lied about her age to get her driver's license at 15. that really didn't blow us away because she was very good at getting what she wanted.

but i didn't even know about this encounter



grandma was a delegate in 92 and attended the inauguration (we even found the dress that she wore). i sure would love to be able to talk politics with her right now.

but it was the family pictures we enjoyed most. sister is boxing them up and bringing them all home to start scanning and archiving them. we could have spent the whole trip just looking at photos, but there were many other things to do.

in my search i found a packet of wedding photos i hadn't seen before and they were just beautiful. a note on scale: grandpa was 6'1 and grandma was 5'4.



the rough part about this is realizing just how much of our family history is gone. neither of them talked about their families much and i never really had much opportunity to ask, so i think i'm going to start digging into our genealogy.

i miss them very much.

[Worried senior]

1. Your grandmother

was a very good looking picture.

Loved the wedding picture and the one with Hillary.

Hope you learn more after going thru things. I think of things to ask my dad but of course it's way too late.

[femmocrat]

2. What a treasure trove! Your grandmother was a beautiful woman.

I have cleaned out the homes of several departed family members. What a chore.

I never want to leave that job for my kids. I'm getting rid of stuff now! LOL

[Rose Siding]

3. That must have been difficult.

You're blessed to have had them. Two of mine died before I was born and the others when I was a child. I only remember a piercing stare full of love from my grandmother while she watched me play on the floor. JFK's picture hung on her wall. And I think she came to my room the night after she died.

[Jim Lane]

4. People, talk with your older relatives while you can.

My experience was like yours. When I cleaned out my parents' house, I found all kinds of things I would have loved to ask them about. For example, I realized that I didn't know all that much about their military service (both were in uniform in World War II; I found my mother's certificate of having helped in the victory). I hadn't known that my father was class president in high school until I found the yearbook.

You never know how much time you have left to hear the previous generations' stories. Take a moment to do it now.

[wezl]

5. What a gorgeous wedding pic!

[brer cat]

6. I am sorry for your loss, fizzgig.

Your grandmother was as lovely in '92 as she was at her wedding. Not many age that gracefully.

[riderinthestorm]

7. (((Fizz gig))) my mom just downsized after 50 years in her house

I helped clean, pack and sort for 6 weeks and loved every minute because we got to talk about everything we touched.

You're grandmother was absolutely beautiful. I hope you take some solace in these things you've found and the memories they bring...

[Snobblevitch]

8. Your grandparents seem like good people.

My dad is 80+. He bought his first PC 30 years ago. He is still working part time with his own business. I have been encouraging him to write the family stories and I will edit them for him.

His parents have a fascinating story. My grandfather deserted the tsar's army and emigrated to the U.S. my grandmother emigrated from the same village to Canada. I have video taped my dad telling some of the family stiries, but he is somewhat stiltedon camera. He is a good writer (part of his career) so the written stories are actually better than the video.

My mother died several years ago. I recently found a photo of my mom and dad dressed in formal wear and dancing at the governor's ball ('60s). My mom was wearing a satin gown with elbow length white gloves and my dad was wearing a tuxedo. It was a B&W photo that appeared on the front page of our local paper. I digitized it and framed it for my dad. I hadn't seen him cry since my mother's funeral.