A Bushel and A Peck
My husband, Alan, son Nicholas and I just returned from vacationing with my mom in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. I was born in Bloomsburg, however I grew up in Florida. This was the first time visiting my hometown as an adult and the visit flooded me with many memories, especially of my grandparents. Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents who we all called Nanny and Pap. I was the first granddaughter and for a long time, I was the only granddaughter because everyone was having boys. Needless to say, my Nanny and Pap spoiled me, especially my Nanny. They took me with them everywhere. I remember spending every weekend with them as a child. We would go out to dinner to fancy restaurants and every Saturday my Nanny and I would go “bumming.” That was her term that she used to describe our Saturday outings which usually consisted of a trip to Zayre’s where she would always buy me a new Barbie doll or Strawberry Shortcake doll, some clothes and then lunch. I loved those weekends with my grandparents.
The one thing I loved doing with them the most was traveling. During the summer, they would take me on road trips with them. I loved riding in their Lincoln Continental. They always let me ride on the “hump” in the front seat; you know the two armrests that sat between them. We traveled many places. I remember visiting The Alamo with them, Chattanooga Tennessee where we ate lunch on the Chattanooga Choo Choo, Niagara Falls walking through these really cool caves and Inner Harbor in Baltimore, just to name a few. I was blessed as a child to have been able to travel the country and see so many amazing things. Looking back as an adult, my fondest memories are just the time I had with them. They taught me so much about life and love. They loved me so much. Of all the memories I have about them, one of my fondest memories is a song that my Nanny used to sing to me. “I love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.” She used to sing it to me all the time.
With all that said, visiting Bloomsburg was very nostalgic to me. I got to see my Nanny and Pap’s old house. It was the house my mom brought me home from the hospital to, where I learned how to swim and where I spent a lot of time visiting with my grandparents. I also got to see my Nanny’s old real estate office. I remember playing “office” with her there. This time though, I got to watch the relationship with my son Nicholas and his grandma. All the grandchildren call her “Gringen”, a name my daughter made up when she was little. Watching the two of them together reminded me a lot of me and my Nanny. They just love each other so much! Just like my Nanny spoiled me, Gringen spoils Nicholas. That is what grandparents do, isn’t it? I felt the presence of my Nanny and Pap so strong in Bloomsburg. It made me wish they were still here to watch my children grow.
While we were there, my mom took us to Ace Renco where she works. It’s a hardware store in Bloomsburg that has an area kind of like a gift shop in the back of the store. It was full of beautiful handmade items like purses, home decor and candles. My mom and I were just looking through all of these beautiful things and I swear I could have bought everything there! As I turned down the aisle that contained adorable handmade things for babies, I saw something that brought tears to my eyes. My mother knew exactly what I was looking at and she picked it up to buy it for me. Right there, in the hardware store in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania was something I had never seen anywhere else. It was a little wooden box, painted pink with white polka dots and the words, “A Bushel & a Peck & a Hug around the Neck.” I like to think that was a sign that my Nanny was smiling on us from heaven, or God’s way of reminding me of how special grandparents are in the lives of our children.
My grandparents impacted my life in a tremendous way. They were a huge part of my life and helped me grow into the woman I am today. If you are reading this and you have children, I encourage you to make sure your children spend lots of time with their grandparents. No matter how you may feel towards your parents and their parenting skills, grand parenting is much different and the relationship between a child and his or her grandparents is something that they will treasure always. If you are a grandparent, make time for your grandbabies, teach them things that they can only learn from you and most importantly just love them. You will create memories that last a lifetime. I am so thankful for my Nanny and Pap and I cherish all the memories I have of them and I love them- “A Bushel & a Peck & a Hug around the Neck!!
Proverbs 17:6 “Children’s children are a crown to the aged.”
Leviticus 19:32 “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God, I am the Lord.”
Proverbs 16:31 “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.”
https://youtu.be/r6j_mpodUf0
