My first grandma to pass away was when I was 4 years old.  My dad’s mom died of brain cancer and my memories of her are few.  As I was holiday shopping this season, I came across this candy, filling me with memories of my other Grandma, my mom’s mom.  My Grandma Daisy was a woman ahead of her time – college-educated, the bread earner of the family…  she had a wonderful laugh and a warm embrace.  I still miss her today.  She passed away suddenly in March of my senior year of high school.  It’s funny how little things evoke a memory.  When I saw this candy in K-Mart, I had to buy it.  Truly, it’s some of the worst candy ever.  The only good pieces are the filled raspberries, and there are about 4 in the whole container.   But my grandma always had metal canisters with the same image on them in her closet every Christmas.  Her tiny closet held children’s books we read over and over, her old manual typewriter, a coffee grinder, some clothes, and many other odds and ends and it  smelled of my grandpa’s smoke and mothballs.  Now, I realize this may not sound pleasant to the average person, however, these memories make me smile.

So, here’s to my Grandma!  I love you and miss you and can’t wait to see you again someday!

And here’s wishing that you also find, in this New Year, many past reminders that make you smile!  Happy 2014!