At the end of May we sold our house in Florida and my parents moved to South Dakota. We still have a condo near the beach so no worries there :). Everybody always asks "Why South Dakota?" Well both of my parents were born here and my grandparents and some of my family are here so when my Dad got a great opportunity to take over a firm in his home town, they took it.
I was so ready to pick up and spend some time in Rapid City. We are 22 miles from historic Mt. Rushmore, 26 from the Crazy Horse Monument, and 32 from Harney Peak, all of which have much significance to my family.
The most wonderful and important blessing that I have received moving here and spending the past 7 weeks with my family has been to get to know and spend time with my grandparents.
My Grampa Bob and Gramma Pat are my dad's parents and have lived in Rapid since they got married. I have spent time with them throughout my life on visits to South Dakota, when they would make their annual trip to Vegas in March, and they actually made it to Florida 3 times, once for my high school graduation. I have always enjoyed them so much but it is not until this year that I think I have really come to appreciate them. My grandmother has Alzheimer's and is really beginning to lose her memory. This is so incredibly frustrating for her especially because she has had such a colorful life full of experiences that she loves to share. She was a nurse, served countless hours in the Catholic Church, served in the state legislature as a Democrat in a state full of gun-carrying Republicans and lobbied for women's rights in South Dakota. She has served on so many committees she can't even remember them all and she still is the head of a number of them and she can't believe they won't let her quit. She did all that, raised 7 passionate, outgoing, and talented children, but most important of all, put up with my stubborn old grandpa. He has softened up a bit since he had grandkids but he is still an ornry old man. My great-grandpa owned the bodyshop downtown and my grandpa soon took it over. He had my dad and his brothers working before and after school as soon as they started middle school. He was ruthless but instilled in them the importance of working hard for what you want.
I have never in my life been blessed with the opportunity to share normal days with my grandparents. Bringing them lunch almost everyday and sharing experiences or just getting hyped up watching Deal-Or-No-Deal with them are memories that I am so thankful that I now have. I know and understand that the way they look at each other is what love looks like. I know that the way their faces light up when I walk in the door is what love looks like. Their love is unconditional and I am so blessed that they will be proud of me no matter what I do.
July 4th weekend we had a family reunion with my dad's 5 remaining siblings and all the families. This picture is probably one that will never happen again and contains every living offspring of my Grampa Bob and Gramma Pat. All 6 of their living children, all of the 7 children's kids, and their kids. This family would not be in existence without the love my grandparents share and I am so thankful for their example to us.
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