Today I am doing the Memory Walk to raise funds for alzheimers research in honor of my grandmothers, Constance and Alice. I am not going to talk about the disease and how terrible it is, or give you statistics on how many people suffer from it every year. I just want to share with you some of the memories of my Grandmothers that I cherish, because I feel blessed that I am able to do so.
My grandmother Alice (who I mentioned in my previous blog post) was a beautiful dancer and choreographer. As a child, I had the pleasure of spending part of my week watching her creative genius. She choreographed graceful, ethereal ballets, "Rockettes" style chorus lines, contemporary jazz routines and charming children's numbers. More importantly, to us, she was an imaginative and creative grandmother. She and my grandfather would take us to the ocean for vacation in the summers and she would spin fairytales about the little people who lived in the seaweed on the beach, or create games for us to play on the long drive down.
She was indulgent. She thought her grandchildren were perfect and deserved the world. There were dinners out, trips to the toystore (accompanied by my eternally patient grandfather ;) and time spent at her house with all of my cousins.
My grandmother Constance had 7 children..which meant we were blessed with an abundance of aunts and uncles ;) She was an amazing designer and seamstress and I was always convinced as a child that she could make anything.
I credit her with my love of reading (she gave me my first copy of Little Women), my love of the theater (she took me to a play in boston every year, and to see the Boston Ballet perform the Nutcracker each christmas) and she instituted "Girls Vacation", a trip with her, her sister and my Mom that has, over the years, added best friends, sister in laws and my daughters. We still carry on the tradition today with my Mom.
I don't think this post would be complete without mentioning my grandfathers as well. Strong, compassionate family men who stood by their wives sides their entire lives. They were my model for my own husband.
These women gave me more than love. They gave me family, creativity and a safe place to try, fail and try again knowing that there was always someone behind me supporting and loving me. These are the memories I cherish.
If you would like to learn more about Alzheimers reasearch and the memory walk, you can do so here
Hugs and Smooches,
D
I love the pictures! Thanks for sharing your precious memories of your grandmothers - it's so special that you had were able to make these memories. I am very close to my maternal grandparents and try to cherish each moment spent with them, knowing that our time is short.
ReplyDeleteYour grandmothers seem like they were wonderful women to have had in your life! Thanks for sharing your memories. I particularly like the photo of Alice in the glamour shot wearing black with the sequiny sash. What a dish!
ReplyDeleteThank you, ladies :). I love being able to share my memories of them with you! (Tasha, that's my favorite shot as well!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful comment. Thank you so much for sharing. We are truly fortunate to have had such special women in our lives.
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