Letters to Grandma

I heard that my grandma wanted two things at her funeral: a bagpiper to play Amazing Grace, and for said bagpiper to flip up his kilt at some point for entertainment value.

I couldn't make it home to see it for myself last month, but word is that at least one of those requests was fulfilled. I'll let your imagination decide which.

Isn't she pretty? And check out that middle name. You better believe I'm owning that in a big way.

I got the greatest box in the mail from my mom yesterday. Half of it contained Easter candy, half of it contained Grandma-related items, and the other half was full of crinkly pink confetti that took over my living room and clothes. (Try not to do the math on all those halves.)

My grandma had exquisite taste.

Her house always smelled like perfume and potpourri, and her furniture was always the stuff my vintage dreams were made of. Don't even get me started on all the details like the lace curtains and various knick knacks. For a girl who's always had, um, elderly taste in home decor, it's always been a magical place that I'd replicate in a heartbeat in my own home. When I had a pet pig in college (yes), she gifted me an excellent painting of a pig to match one hanging in her own house. It's been on the wall of every apartment I've had in the last 7 years, and is one of my best conversation starters.

Grandma also collected bears. My aunts sorted them out recently and gifted one to each of the grandkids. Mine arrived in the box from my mom yesterday...apparently they all decided the Traveling Bear was the one for me. Couldn't guess why ;) I think she is lovely and she lives in my living room now.

One of the best parts of this box in the mail was the collection of letters that I'd sent to my grandma during my lifetime.

A couple of them were from when I was old enough to write them myself, but most were the type that I'd obviously dictated to my mom and then signed my own name on. The letters included a treasure trove of eloquent thoughts from my young mind. For your entertainment pleasure:

Dear Grandma, 

I miss you. I like you. Do you miss Daddy? I'm happy you are going to come see us. I like your kisses. You can watch "The Little Mermaid" with us. How are your dogs? I go to the nursery at church. Goodbye. I can write my own name. I love you!

Various other letters included references to The Little Mermaid. What's funny is that I only vaguely remember watching that movie, while the rest of my childhood is a blur of Land Before Time on repeat. And it's true about writing my own name, look:

My favorite other letter was literally just a page on which I'd drawn a flower and written every letter of the alphabet I knew at the time, which was primarily E's and O's. In good news, I was totally ready for a handwritten rendition of Old MacDonald.

Also, totally planning on making that same request for my own funeral about the bagpiper....and the kilt.