Blessed are the Givers

by Taryn

My grandmother is a Giver. Anyone who's ever met her knows--she's obsessed with giving. Every single time she goes shopping, without fail, she's sure to pick something up for someone else. And every time I visit, she's compelled to offer me things the whole time I'm there--second-hand jewelry or clothes, knick-knacks, or whatever's she found on her latest excursion. She frequently gives me cans of corn or pineapple when I'm visiting, just in case I'm out. There's even a old family tale about her sending my brother a single piece of lunchmeat wrapped in some tinfoil when he was sick and couldn't come to Sunday dinner. She just wanted to be sure he had his "nutrients."

Grandma still remembers my father on holidays--and my parents have been divorced for almost 15 years!

Now it's one thing to give excessively to your grandchildren, you know--many grandmothers like to feed and care for their families, and that's understandable, since she took care of us from the time we were little babies. But our grandmother gives to everyone. She gives to the mailman, the old lady who lives upstairs, her new and old landlords, and even the grandkids of the church lady who visits her every week for tea. For goodness' sake, she still remembers my father on holidays--and my parents have been divorced for almost 15 years!

Now, Grandma isn't made of dough or anything--she just shares everything she has. You have to admit that's a lot of people to buy gifts for (even for someone who's not on social security) so she literally has a stockpile of things collected to give to away. If she does happen to run out, though, she'll just give you some of her own "pretties." More than once I've seen people compliment her on something she owns, and then watch her package it up for them to have when they go. It doesn't matter what it is--she once gave me the wall-hanging jewelry box I told her was lovely in her bedroom.

And that's just the stuff she gives on a day-to-day basis, but she's so anxious to give out birthday presents that you're liable to receive your gift in excess of a month in advance. She does manage somehow to keep her Christmas gifts until the occasion actually comes around, but she's definitely got them purchased and wrapped up to three months before.

Now, I can't say opening Christmas gifts at Grandma's inspires a lot of "oh it's just what I wanted" comments, but they're definitely unforgettable. Because many of them are second-hand and she doesn't necessarily have a sharp grasp on what size you are now, or what's in fashion, she sometimes inspires a lot of laughter with her choices. You also have to be careful if you give her a bunch of stuff for her annual yardsale, because if something doesn't sell you might end up seeing it again under the tree! On one occasion I got a purse that looked awfully familiar until my sister leaned over in a whispered confession to tell me it had been hers.

My Grandmother, the Giver.

Grandma knows she makes us laugh, though; she's very good-natured. She doesn't even mind that we kids often trade our gifts afterward--the mini swap meet we hold after everyone's finished is almost as fun as unwrapping them the first time. And Grandma's just happy knowing she was able to give us the joy of opening things from her. Although we laugh sometimes, deep down we're all humbled by the giving nature of this woman. If we all gave as much of ourselves as she does, the world would truly be a beautifully changed place.

scraps | fridge | porch | table | stump | travels | us | archives

© 2002 craftygal.com. All rights reserved.