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« Power Up Friday | Main | Belief-O-Matic »
November 24, 2008 |Permalink |Comments (5)
Monkhouse Monday
Oma* - The MIP (Most important person)
I stopped by on my Eden mission travels through Europe in winter wonderland Eastern Austria, where my family lives. Last night we went out for Schnitzel, Knödel, Sauerkraut and Eispalatschinken (Dessert of sweet thin pancakes with chocolate and icecream). We had a good time, my two sisters, my brother in law, their three children (aged between 20 and 25), me, and last, but not in the least least, my mother (78,5), called Oma.
The point I am making is, without Oma, just being there, being with us, things would have been less meaningful and pleasurable, actually somehow incomplete. Something would have been missing, for all of us.
Christa Monkhouse
* Oma is a loving term for grandmother in German
Comments ( 5)
As we here in the U.S. prepare for Thanksgiving, I can't possibly imagine what the holiday (or any holiday) would be like without my grandfather nearby. The elders in our lives are indeed MIPs! Wonderful timing with this post!
Posted by
Rachel M.
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November 24, 2008 12:19 PM
I so agree with you, Rachel and Christa. Family gatherings are much more vivid and joyful with grandparents around to share their stories and participate in the activity that surrounds the holidays. Enjoy!
This is so interesting...all my life my mother and I have bickered like a cat and a dog as our personalities could not be more different (or so I'd like to think). This all started to change, however, after I gave birth to my son.
I am finding myself a lot more flexible and tolerant towards her as I think of her as a grandmother now. I just know that, for my son, the the joy of being "grandmothered" is like nothing else in the world! So I am determined to do whatever it takes to provide that experience for him. Even if it means she gets to win an argument or two...
By the way, Grandma makes the best icepalatchinken in Virginia. Except I thought "palatchinki" is a slavic word used in Eastern Europe whereas in Germany and Austria they are called "pfannkuchen"...
Having once again enjoyed a big-family holiday with my in-laws, it struck me just how much having my husband's grandmother with us means to everyone.
Nicknamed "Gator" (as in "see ya later...") by her 29-and-counting grand, great-grand, and great, great-grandchildren, Grandma is 89 and beloved and revered by all who meet her - and most certainly by the 25+ who travel from out of state every year to assemble in her humble, WV bungalow for Thanksgiving.
She's quiet and unassuming - yet even the youngest children in the family seem to have a fundamental understanding that Gator is very, very special. Her stories are treasured, her work ethic legendary, her needs simple, her love unconditional - and her approval more meaningful than I can probably express.
Gator is truly the foundation upon which our family grows and thrives. It's my most sincere hope that others in her cohort are valued as much as she is - not only by immediate family, but by society at large.
Posted by
CC Andrews
December 2, 2008 8:33 PM
During the holiday season it is important to reflect on the things that make this time of year so special. Family and friends make the holidays special, not the act of purchasing merchandise.