i was lucky enough to have three grandmothers (FOUR if you count the grandma we used to wave to on the “i” street): my father’s mother, my mother’s mother (who i never met because she was gone long before i was born) and my gg, my grandpa’s second wife. all of these women had a huge impact on my life. 

growing up, i was struck by the strong will of my paternal grandmother, estelle. despite being born into an era when the roles for women were clearly delineated, she did what she wanted - she had a career, she had a slew of boyfriends, she married late and she left her marriage - challenging norms at every turn. she was formidable and funny and she loved my father to pieces. she also made the most delicious pies (i have her recipes and even when i follow them to a T, i cannot properly replicate them because she really made her crusts by “feel”) and the BEST pickles. she jarred her own dills for decades and it was a sad day when we polished off the very last one. my sweet lu is a pickle fanatic and i often regret that she never got to try one of estelle’s.

(my grandmother estelle)

my mother’s mother, marion, died far too young. she was quiet and kind and beloved by her family and community. my mom talks about how surprised she was when so many people came forward at her funeral to share stories she’d never before heard of marion’s thoughtfulness. i am told that i resemble her both in stature (this is true - i’ve tried on her wedding dress) and temperment (although i am sure i am not as sweet.) while i never got to meet her, i have always felt that i had my own personal guardian grandma angel and that she was looking out for me and my children. i still do.

(my angel grandma, marion)

our gg, genevieve, couldn’t have been a better grandma AND great grandma. she sang to us, read to us, snuggled us, took us on adventures and fed us all the things we didn’t normally get, most notably, apple jacks. we lost gg just before the pandemic set in… i am so grateful that my children grew up with such a special great grandma and that she didn’t have to live through corona. we still miss her terribly.

(our beloved gg, genevieve)

last thanksgiving we were on full lockdown and couldn’t spend the holiday with extended family. we had a very small celebration with just the four of us, but as i looked around the table i realized that all of our grandmas were there: the table was set with estelle’s campy turkey plates and crystal glasses, the food was served on marion’s gold rimmed dishes and platters, we were eating gg’s mashed potatoes (sadly, we couldn’t pull off her gravy), my mother’s (raisin-free!) cranberry sauce and wild rice dressing and oma’s (my first husband’s mother) sweet potatoes made with jack daniels and marshmallows on top. 

(estelle’s turkey plates)

(marion’s gold rimmed dishes with my mother’s cranberry sauce)

this year we are super fortunate to be able to celebrate live with my parents again, but we will be thinking about all of our grandmas. HAPPY, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! x0x0x