If you read a previous blog (http://sistersonpurpose.weebly.com/blog/grandmas-and-grandkids-rule) you already know I adored our grandma. She was tiny, red headed, freckly and funny. She was a great story teller as well and I felt like I really knew so much about her past, her family, siblings, her love of sports, her playing basketball, supposedly dribbling through a very tall opponent’s legs to ultimately make a basket. Her father painted houses and after she was married, she wall papered her own kitchen and when her father came to visit she realized she’d hung it upside down but pretended she did it that way on purpose. After she had my dad and my uncle all she really wanted was to have a baby girl, which she eventually did. She was faithful, dedicated to her church, quilted and crocheted and loved to fish as well. She was a bit of a perfectionist which would come out kind of subtly when she baked. Another side note her, she made the best fruit cake. As an adult I could never understand why people didn’t like fruit cake until the day I realized she was the ONLY person who put gum drops in hers instead of actual fruit. And one of my favorite unique stories, is when she was a young girl, the courthouse burned down and everyone had to recreate their birth records so my rebel grandma change her name from “Fay” to “Faye” – OMG = she cracks me up!
So a few years ago, I was kind of stunned to realize we never really talked about, or I didn’t know about, her heritage. I think her parents were born in the US and I know she was. I never even gave it a single thought – ever! Isn’t that weird? Of all the things I asked her over the years, I never once asked her that. Then Debbie, on a spur of the moment, while in Germany decided to fly with her friend Jody to Ireland which is a whole other story for Debbie to write J I think Debbie texted me or when she got back called me and said “you won’t believe it – all the women in Ireland look exactly like grandma”. And, I’m like “really? Grandma was Irish?” It was a strange feeling, I didn’t know if it was some coincidence and I guess I still didn’t give it much thought since then until ….
The other day, I was researching fun facts about Ireland (http://www.ireland-fun-facts.com/ireland-facts.html) and came across this gem “One of the most popular radio shows in rural Ireland is still the weekly broadcast of local obituaries” Why is that so interesting, you ask? Well because, besides the gum drops in fruit cake, one of the other things my grandma did which I never heard of anyone else doing before or since is collecting obituaries. Every Sunday she would go through the newspaper , clipped obituaries and put them nicely in photo albums. I’m not sure how many she has but it’s a lot! And if I didn’t know it was true before, oh I do now – Grandma Lamb was for sure Irish!
Sylvia,
P.S. For more stories about my grandma and Debbie’s impromptu 24 hour trip to Ireland, join us on our upcoming “The Path of Gratitude Retreat” in Northern and Western Ireland March 14-22. See http://www.sistersonpurpose.com/gratitude-in-ireland.html for more info and to register
So a few years ago, I was kind of stunned to realize we never really talked about, or I didn’t know about, her heritage. I think her parents were born in the US and I know she was. I never even gave it a single thought – ever! Isn’t that weird? Of all the things I asked her over the years, I never once asked her that. Then Debbie, on a spur of the moment, while in Germany decided to fly with her friend Jody to Ireland which is a whole other story for Debbie to write J I think Debbie texted me or when she got back called me and said “you won’t believe it – all the women in Ireland look exactly like grandma”. And, I’m like “really? Grandma was Irish?” It was a strange feeling, I didn’t know if it was some coincidence and I guess I still didn’t give it much thought since then until ….
The other day, I was researching fun facts about Ireland (http://www.ireland-fun-facts.com/ireland-facts.html) and came across this gem “One of the most popular radio shows in rural Ireland is still the weekly broadcast of local obituaries” Why is that so interesting, you ask? Well because, besides the gum drops in fruit cake, one of the other things my grandma did which I never heard of anyone else doing before or since is collecting obituaries. Every Sunday she would go through the newspaper , clipped obituaries and put them nicely in photo albums. I’m not sure how many she has but it’s a lot! And if I didn’t know it was true before, oh I do now – Grandma Lamb was for sure Irish!
Sylvia,
P.S. For more stories about my grandma and Debbie’s impromptu 24 hour trip to Ireland, join us on our upcoming “The Path of Gratitude Retreat” in Northern and Western Ireland March 14-22. See http://www.sistersonpurpose.com/gratitude-in-ireland.html for more info and to register
RSS Feed
