It was just a simple little plastic tree. Each Christmas when we arrived at Grandma's house, I found it on the table waiting empty just for me. I quickly located the bag of green and red gumdrops, and went to work filling the branches. I don't remember why Grandma first gave me this particular task. Surely I wasn't the most efficient child she could have chosen. I spent more time sneaking gumdrops into my mouth than poking them onto the limbs. In fact, if you look closely at the first photo below, you may notice a slight bulge inside my cheek. This was just one of the ways that Grandma found to make me feel special and important.
My sister and I went to visit her last year on this date for her birthday. She'd been enduring pain for several months before this, but still greeted us with the same smile. When she and I had a few quiet minutes alone, she took my hand and said, "Oh, you are a sight for these sore eyes." For just a moment, I felt like that little girl once again, content to simply sit there and hold my grandma's hand.
We lost her in December, and have missed her every single day.
"The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another." (Genesis 31:49)
I know she loved watching you "sneak" those gumdrops just as much as you enjoyed sneaking them. I am sorry to say it but sneaked candy just tastes better. I think that was a special Grandma to set up a situation for you to enjoy.
ReplyDelete