Take the time to call your grandparents!

The year was 1949. Harry Truman was president and the world was recovering from World War II. The Yankees beat the Dodgers 4-1 in the World Series. Death of a Salesman and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes were theater favorites. Bud and Elaine's love letters required a three cent stamp. When they danced at their February wedding, it was probably to music like "Some Enchanted Evening".

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Bud and Elaine and a large number of their family as they met to reaffirm their vows on their 65th Wedding Anniversary. Wow! It was wonderful to see such a large extended family come together at the chapel to celebrate with them. We photographed lots of combinations, including four generations of the Plansky family and then they were off to dinner together.

On the way home, it got me thinking. My own grandparents, Dawn Andrew and Thorvald & Pauline Olson, are doing very well and still living on their own even in their upper 80's and low '90s. Things aren't as easy for them anymore, but having a great attitude really helps. Grandpa can still sell ice to eskimos! They have lots of stories that we've heard before, but lots and lots of stories that may be forgotten. What was it really like in the hard times of the Depression when young Pauline Nicholls had one skirt to wear to school? She ironed it every day until one day the pleats just shred. Hard to imagine, isn't it! And I love the picture of Grandpa with a group of buddies together on the beach while serving in the South Pacific. And we really need to preserve Grandma Andrew's cinnamon roll and popcorn ball recipes...hasn't she made tens of thousands of them over the years!

This blog post is going to be a little short...I can't wait any longer. Time to call my grandparents!