Happy Mother’s Day! The month of May is a celebration for all moms.  When we think about these women in our lives sometimes we can easily describe them in a couple of words. My maternal grandma, Helen Zabuski? She was the fun one! 

Growing up, both my grandmas lived out of state so I didn’t see them often. However, when we did plan a visit, I counted down the days! We always stayed with my Grandma Helen and Grandpa Joe in their tiny ranch house in a quaint, well-manicured neighborhood in Warren, Michigan.

She loved listening to the Detroit Tigers on the radio and watching Johnny Carson in her favorite living room chair. She and my grandpa had a dog, Dutchess, who I adored. When she answered the phone she pronounced “hello” like “yellow.” It still makes me laugh when I think about it! For having a Polish grandma, it was funny that her specialty meal she cooked for us when we visited was Chop Suey! To prepare for our visits she always bought us a pack of tiny, individual cereal boxes and windmill cookies. 

 I remember making her simple crafts of a hand-print paper turkey and a cut-out Easter basket with eggs inside. I felt proud when she displayed my work in the middle of the banquet table in the basement where we ate our holiday meals. She wasn’t the type of grandma who spoiled us with lavish gifts. She didn’t have to. It was obvious she loved being around us and I loved being around her. She was sweet and kind and I couldn’t wait to visit.

She worked for Chrysler sewing car seats. I always thought that was a cool profession for a grandma. I inherited a large spool of her thick black sewing thread proudly displayed in my hallway cupboard.

My grandma had white hair, wore glasses, and was always in a pair of slacks, never a “house coat” like typical older ladies did.   When I was young she looked old even though she died at the young age of 69 on June 27, 1984. It was the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school.

I remember feeling heartbroken and having a very empty feeling in my stomach at her funeral. My Grandpa Joe had passed away a little over a year before. Now they were both gone.

 One day when I see my Grandma Helen again, I have many questions to ask her. She was born in 1915 and often I wonder about her life experiences. The year she was born Woodrow Wilson was president, Alexander Graham Bell made the famous first phone call, and WW1 had been underway for a  year.

 I have such wonderful memories of her. I think of her often and miss her. How can I not? She was the fun one…This post is dedicated to her memory which is rooted inside me.

Sometimes I write posts that are intended to preserve the memories of my family, especially for my 2 adult sons. Thank you, readers, for always supporting my content.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge my husband’s birthday today! Happy Birthday, Jack! You know I love you. You deserve to have a really good Old Fashion and a bowl of ice cream to celebrate!