I consider myself fortunate as a 30-something, ahem, young adult to still have one living grandparent. At 79 (and a 1/2), my mother's mother is still sassy as ever. She took the bus down from Indiana and spent 4 days cuddling her great-grand-kids and giving us an ear-full of all her wonderful stories.
I didn't grow up living close to my grandparents, so we'd see them maybe once a year. But my kids are a lucky part of the Skype generation and have a firm relationship with their "Gigi" grounded in computer conversations. Although grandma isn't exactly tech-savvy, she occasionally has success firing up the skype that her neighbor helped install on her laptop to check in on her only great-grand-kiddos.
Yes, Lear had to change outfits... don't ask. ;) But, Hallelujah for a
photo of everyone smiling and looking mostly in the direction of my
lens!
One of the things I treasure most is photos. My grandma has stacks of old (and some very old) photographs of our distant, now deceased family members in her basement. There's something very special about looking back in your lineage and trying to find just where that crooked smile or button nose comes from. Or snickering at the fact that you totally would've had a crush on your great-great-grandpa, who was quite the looker as a younger man! Everyone knows that your DNA is half dad and half mom, yes. But in reality, its awe-inspiring to marvel at how you're actually the sum total of hundreds of relatives before you.
So, every time I have the privilege of spending time with my grandma, I try and get a few good shots of our 4 generations of mother/daughters. Not too shabby for self timer and a little photoshopping. Maybe someday Avery will treasure them too.
