Lipstick for Sundays

This post is about my grandparents.  Now that I think about it, I don't believe I've ever written about my grandparents, or talked about them on this blog for that matter.  That changes today! :)

I had/have the some of the most wonderful grandparents ever - I'm sure most of you would say the same thing about your own grandma and grandpa!

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Grandpa and Grandma R (my father's parents) were off the boat Italian and I loved them dearly.  I loved the way they spoke in their thick Italian accents; the way both of them smelled, and the way they cooked!  Talk about amazing food!  I loved sitting in their laps and listening to them tell me stories, when in reality, I just loved being close to them.  Whenever my grandpa or grandma didn't know the English word for something, they would hold out their hand and ask, "What'd you call?"  To this day I still use that phrase when I can't seem to recall something and every time I use it I can't help but think of them and smile.  One time I remember going crab fishing with them and then having to leave the next day and never getting the chance to eat the crab we caught!  I think it was blue crab that we caught.  We would eat grapefruit with them every morning - actually, we would pick the grapefruit ourselves from their back yard then eat it along with our cereal (Honey-Nut Cheerios, Cheerios, or Total with Silk milk).  My brothers (along with my Pop) would spend hours out in the garage while the girls would spend the time with Mama and grandma doing things like preparing dinner or just talking - I loved talking with my grandma!  Normally, a visit to their house meant a trip to the Dollar Store for some "treats." Sometimes we would all go to the beach and play bocce (an Italian ball game) or swim, and sometimes go on little walks around the park.  One of the most vivid memories I have of my grandmother is the way she smelled: warm, loving, and kind.  I don't know the name of the perfume she used, but whatever it was it has been permanently engraved into my mind and heart.  Every single time I hugged her I would take a deep breath and breathe her in.  My sisters and I have her last bottle of perfume and we all wouldn't trade it for the world.  Every once in awhile, I like to open it and just remember her.  Isn't it amazing how much a smell can bring back memories?  I miss them both of course, but there's just something about that smell that tugs at my heart with each passing year...

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Grandpa and Grandma L (my mother's parents) were Italian and German.  Her mom is 100% Italian and her father was German and Pennsylvania Dutch.
My grandfather was such a jokester!  He would tell us things like, "Your grandma got pulled over once by a police officer because her lipstick was too red", or that he was John Wayne! Of course this wasn't true, but to us it was great and we ate it all up!  He was tall and had some of the most stunning blue eyes ever!  He was a POW (Prisoner of war) during WWII and actually wrote a small book about his time serving; being captured, and his time as a prisoner.  Whenever all of the granddaughters were together our grandma would put lipstick on us girls while the boys were out in grandpa's shed or watching him mow the lawn.  On the first mornings of our visit, we would normally have cereal. Shredded Wheat, Rice Pops, Rice Krispies, or Raisin Bran.  While most children would turn their noses up at that kind of unsweetened cereal, we loved it!  I loved it because it meant that we were with our grandparents (whom didn't live close by), all of us together, and I treasured those moments.  I can never think of the plan shredded wheat cereal the same way again though...and that's just fine with me. :)  I remember going mini-golfing with them, to a small circus or a fair, and when we were very young, a lake (this was right after my bother was born 20-something years ago!).  Grandpa L went to "peek" on Josiah while he was sleeping and started filming him during his nap. :)  Josaih learned to juggle from him and he even resembles him.  It's weird (in a good way) how some of us look, or act just like our grandparents. :)  I call it a blessing. :)

Two things I loved about their house: 1), the goats that lived next store, and 2) the smell of their bathroom...yes, I know that must sound odd, but it isn't I promise.  Their bathroom always smelled like Dove soap. :) So whenever I get a whiff of that soap, I smile and remember wonderful times past.
Have any of you ever watched the film The Great Escape?  It's one of my all time favorites, and not just because it's a good film, but because it reminds me of my grandfather; it makes me feel closer to him even though he no longer.

Sadly though, Grandma R passed away when I was young, just 7 years old.  Even though I knew what death was and meant at that age, I still couldn't grasp why my grandmother was no longer living; no longer going to hold or hug me.  My parents later explained to me (when I was old enough to fully understand) that she had died of cancer that had come back after 7 or 8 years.  She was only 66 years old.  Cancer.  It has effected almost everyone in the world, or I'm sure someone who it hasn't effected knows someone who it has!  Such a tragic disease.

Then when I was 13 years old I lost my Grandpa L.  He died of heart issues and was also a diabetic. He was only 80 years old.

And then when I was 15 I lost my Grandpa R.  He was only 76 years old.

My Grandma L is the only living grandparent I have left.  A couple of years ago though, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.  She will be turning 94 years old.

My mother read a book about a woman who has Alzheimer's at a very young age - though, does it really matter what age?  The book is called Still Alice and is written by Lisa Genova.  While the story contains foul langue (my only real issue with the book), the story and how it is written is phenomenal.  It allowed me to see this horrible disease progress from the effected one's eyes, and for me that was very important.  At the moment, I felt like I needed to read what it was like - even though I'd never really, fully understand.

I like to think that I have little pieces of my grandparents in me.  I have long, slender fingers (9 inches from tip to tip!) that I like to think are from Grandpa L; knees from Grandma R, and eyes from Grandpa L (he had the ice blue eyes and my sister Abigail and I are the only ones in our family who have hazel eyes so we like to think that maybe, just maybe we got that from him).  There will be certain things each of us do that our parents will tell us, "You know, my father/mother did the same thing."  We all say "Do what?", and Grandpa L said that all the time.

So why is this post called "Lipstick for Sundays"?  Well, I decided to call it that for 2 reasons, (1, in honor of both sets of grandparents, and (2, to raise more awareness for cancer, heart issues (or just heart disease), diabetes, and Alzheimer's.  Also, I wanted to dedicate this post to all the grandparents who have lost their lives to these awful diseases.  You are not forgotten.  Maybe those aren't really good enough reasons, but for me they're very important.

While I don't normally wear a lot of makeup - I hardly wear it at all - I like to wear it on Sundays. So this week (and every week) I'll wear Lipstick on Sundays in honor and remembrance of my dear grandparents whom I love(loved) and adore (adored).

In His Mighty Hands,
Sarah

If you are interested in learning more about cancer and how you can help, click here; if you are interested in learning about diabetes, click here; and lastly, if you want to learn more about Alzheimer's, please click  here.