My grandparents always seemed quite ancient to me. Maybe that’s because they were indeed a good sixty years or more older than I was. They were always wrinkled and grey from the time of my first memories of them. When my grandfather died at the age of one hundred eight I was only thirty nine years old. When my own first grandson was born I was still in my forties, working full time with nary a gray hair on my head. I was known at work and home for my boundless energy and so it was only natural that my relationship with my him would be more playful and active than the one I had with my own grandparents. I enjoyed getting down on the floor with him, laughing and being silly with him.
I was one very excited grandmother. Even though Andrew was far away my daughter kept us apprised of his milestones with photographs and anecdotes that convinced me of his brilliance and good nature. I travelled to see him as often as possible and then cried on the plane or in the car all the way home. I often wondered if the passengers near me on my flights wondered why I was quietly shedding tears, but I was unable to control my emotions and my sorrow at leaving him. I knew that it would be months before seeing him again.
Catherine had by this time become ever more in love with the young man with whom she had begun a relationship at the Texas A&M muster. I somehow always had a feeling that my father had sent Jeremy to her. It would have been like him to play matchmaker just as he had done earlier with his best friend and my mother’s sister. Somehow Catherine and Jeremy seemed to be a perfect match. He was serious and steady, a bookend to her impish nature. Together they seemed perfect.
One Christmas we all converged on Indiana to visit with Maryellen, Scott and Andrew. It was a joyous time when we experienced an exceptionally cold winter in the midwest, a wonder that we rarely saw down south. We played with Andrew and visited the sights, including enjoying a day trip to Chicago. At the time it never occurred to me that Catherine might one day end up in the Windy City, but that is a story for another day.
While we were all busy living Catherine continued with her studies and graduation from Texas A&M with a degree in Rangeland Ecology Management. Essentially she had the training to care for the land on our planet. She would forevermore be an advocate for treating our good earth with loving care. Her first job would be with an environmental firm in Dallas so we were soon helping her move her things from College Station to an apartment in Arlington, a suburb better known for being the home of the Texas Rangers baseball team.
She was on her own but only five hours away so we were able to visit her often. A little sheltie dog named Maggie kept her company as did Jeremy who had an internship with Lockheed Martin. Soon the two of them were engaged and planning for a wedding after Jeremy’s graduation. To both my surprise and delight Catherine had decided to move back home and without my knowledge she had interviewed for a job as a science teacher at the school where I was working and had landed the job.
Catherine and Maggie brought so much life and joy to our home. It was fun having them both there. Our old dog. Red, became like a mother the Catherine’s little pup. I was able to guide Catherine in the daily responsibilities of a teacher. We had fun talking about our mutual experiences and often spent evenings comparing stories.
Catherine ended up on a sixth grade team with teachers who had taught her when she was a student at the school years before. They took her under their wings and made sure that she would have a successful first year of teaching. A woman named Deller Thompson was especially helpful. Deller had been Catherine’s sixth grade reading teacher and she was as strict as any educator comes, but also incredibly fair. She had challenged Catherine to push herself as a student and now that she was a teacher, Deller pushed her even more. The result was that Catherine proved to be exceedingly talented in conveying science concepts to her students. She used her skills as an artist and her creativity in thinking to plan lessons that made science come alive.
Meanwhile Maryellen joyfully announced one day that she and Scott and Andrew would soon be moving back to Beaumont. Ninety miles away sounded so much better than a thousand. I knew that it would only take an hour and a half to be with her so I was super excited and so were Mike and Catherine. Life continued to look quite sunny for all of us, especially this first time young Gammy.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 