It’s that time of year again where people are often asked ‘What are you thankful for’ causing them to stop and take a moment, if they have not recently, to reflect on that question. This year my answer would have to be time.
Earlier this month, I lost one of my grandfathers. Losing a loved one is never easy and everyone deals with grief in their own way. Right now, I am attempting to do that by being thankful for the time that I have had to spend with him and my other grandparents (one who is still here and two who have also passed away).
It just so happened that I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my grandparents. Growing up my mom’s parents would watch me during the day and I had a chance to really get to know them. We lost my dad’s mom when I was still very young, but even so I have memories of times I spent with her one on one.
My dad’s father and I had a love of baseball that we shared. We also shared a love of music which is something that not many in the family knew until recently. My grandfather pitched in the minor leagues before his father had a heart attack and he went home to help his parents with the farm.
From very young I began to play softball. Not only did I play, but I also became a huge baseball fan and of the game itself. This was something that became our thing. Whenever we would be together, no matter the season, we could spend hours discussing baseball and as we liked to call it ‘fixing everything that was wrong with it.’
I am thankful that one of the last days that I spent with him was watching the repeat of a World Series game with his team playing for the championship (and they did go on to win which I was happy about though they certainly were not my team of choice). We talked about the game that was going on as well anything and everything in baseball. That is a day that I would not change if given the chance.
There are a number of things that I am thankful, but this year time is at the top of the list. I have had the chance to know all of my grandparents and the opportunity to spend more than two decades with three of them. I am thankful for the unique relationship that I have been given the chance to have with them and that I still have time with my mom’s father to continue to spend time with.
So, though you may be sick of having to answer ‘What are you thankful for this year,’ sometimes it can be good to take the time to sit back and truly think about what your answer is. A very happy Thanksgiving to all of the readers out there and may you have plenty to be thankful for this year.
Shea Singley is the editor of The Hamburg Area Item. She can be reached at ssingley@berksmontnews.com.
