My Grandma and Grandpa Pieper are celebrating their 62nd Wedding Anniversary today!
Well...not actually celebrating today. They celebrated this past Sunday at my Mom and Dad's house in what has become somewhat of a tradition. For the past few anniversaries, my mom and dad host my grandparents and all of their children (all 11 of them) for a special anniversary lunch.
This celebration once again reminded me of my parents love and generosity. My Grandma suffered a stroke May of 2009 and lost all control and movement on her left side. She is mostly wheechair bound now, but can pivot with help to sit in chairs or in the bathroom as needed. My parents house is not exactly handicap friendly. There are stairs going from the garage into the house and the bathroom door frames are too narrow for a wheelchair to fit through. My dad built ramps to cover the stairs going into the house and took the door off the bathroom, making it easier for my Grandma to do the things she needs to do. My mom then made a "door" out of a curtain so Grandma would have privacy when she needed it. She also planned out the whole meal and cleaned and decorated the garage.
BTW, my parent's garage is not a typical garage. You could eat off the floor in there! There is also painting all over the garage walls showing the evolution of life on the farm. It's pretty cool!
It's also a chance for my grandparents to spend time with all of their children, play cards, tell stories and simply enjoy each other's company. With 10 living siblings, it's very difficult to get everyone in the same room at the same time. My uncle Ron died after a car accident in 1996, but is still very much present in these celebrations. The only one missing on Sunday was my aunt Kathy who couldn't make the drive up from Omaha. Otherwise...Ray, Mike, Mary, Trese, Tony, Julie, Jean, Frank and Carol were all present and accounted for. Yes, I know all of their names (and birth order) by heart!
My sisters and I were the servers for the day os everyone could relax as much as possible. It also gave us an excuse to get together and see all of our babies...Ava and Jayde, Brooklyn and Wyatt. Gotta love babies!
I'll end with a picture of my sisters and I with our Grandparents from my wedding. This was taken only 6 months before my Grandmas'a stroke and a picture I will treasure always.
Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!
I love each one of your posts, Jen, and check back often for updates, but this particular post is beautiful. Thank you for laying out the anniversary celebration so beautifully in words. Your Dad and I truly enjoy this annual event - it means so much to Grandma and Grandpa (especially Grandpa) to have all of his kids in one place all at one time. I hope we can celebrate many more of Grandma and Grandpa's anniversaries. They are INCREDIBLE people, so loving, caring and generous. Thank you, Jen, for your kind words --- and thank you for sharing the day with us and not only serving, but helping with the babies. Love ya lots - Mom ... AND DAD!!
ReplyDelete