By: Janelle
I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by all four of my grandparents, all of whom were still living well into my early 20s. Their presence in my life was loving and influential, especially my grandmothers.
My paternal grandmother, Grandma Schriever, was an elementary school teacher for many years. She was incredibly smart and a total bookworm. There were always books around her house. I remember “reading” (well, memorizing) Green Eggs and Ham at age four so I could “read” it back to her. I’m pretty sure her love of books is what sparked my own lifelong passion for reading. Even now, you’re more likely to find me with my nose in a book than watching TV.
My maternal grandmother, Grandma Usher, was born and raised in central Florida. She met my grandfather at the start of World War II and became a military wife. My grandfather, a farm boy from Iowa, stayed in the service after the war, and together they lived in and traveled to so many places. Grandma was a woman of action. In my young eyes, she was fearless, always diving into big projects and never sitting still. When they were stationed in Morocco, she told me most families stayed close to base. Not them. They spent their vacations exploring Europe. As kids, my sisters and I traveled all over the U.S. with them in their big RV. I’m sure my wanderlust was born from those memories. Grandma showed me the world could be wide open if you were brave enough to go explore it.
In the photo from left to right: my sister Carrie, my mom holding her, my great-grandma Crow (my mom’s grandma), my grandma Usher holding me.
My own mother was also a powerful presence in my children’s lives. I don’t think I fully appreciated how much she influenced them until I started hearing them casually mention things she taught or did with them. She was a highly educated woman who spent her nursing career primarily in the operating room. She even worked at the University of Utah in the early days of organ transplants and assisted in those groundbreaking surgeries. After being widowed young, with two small children under the age of four, she stressed education to me and my sisters constantly. “If I hadn’t had my education,” she often said, “supporting the family would’ve been a whole lot harder.” She had a fun, sometimes sassy personality and could charm even the grouchiest people. One of her go-to phrases I’ll never forget was: “Keep your shirt on.” She had a way of diffusing tension with humor, though she could raise her voice when the situation called for it!
Now, as I step into the role of grandma myself, I find myself thinking a lot about these women. There’s no handbook for being a grandmother, except, maybe to serve, love, and protect fiercely… and involve them in your life as much as you possibly can.
What I love most so far is being able to focus on making memories. I’m not shouldering the day-to-day parenting (though I happily help when needed), so my mental load is lighter and I get to be fully present for the sweet moments.
I hope that one day, my grandchildren will look back and say, “My grandma was amazing.”
