My Grandma, Helen Zabuski, has been gone for 42 years. I was a sophomore in high school and 16 years old when she died. She lived in Michigan, so I didn’t see her and my Grandpa often. We visited, perhaps, once a year, plus a couple of extra visits here and there. It’s strange to think that in my whole life, I have only visited her maybe 25 times. 

Nevertheless, when I think about her, this is what I remember..

-She used pink Camay bar soap.

-She loved chocolate licorice.

-She chewed on a coffee stirrer when she listened to the Tigers games on her radio.

-She made chop suey, not pierogi. 

-She had a raspy cough because she smoked. 

-She liked to gamble and play the daily number. Her number was 295. She kept her tickets in her cigarette case.

-She ate Raisin Bran and pickled pig’s feet… so gross! 

-She died at the early age of 69, but looked like a typical Grandma. She often wore pedal-pushers. 

-She drank a lot of coffee, just like my Mom.

I love it when I get a sign from my Grandma. It doesn’t happen often, but I feel she’s telling me she’s still here and didn’t forget about me. Happy Mother’s Day, Grandma!