14 Grandparents Whose Love Echoes Through Every Family Story

A grandparent has the beautiful quality of being the heartbeat of a home, even if they're no longer around. Here are 14 stories and memories that hold the essence of a grandma and grandpa's love.

• My grandparents (85 and 82 years old) noticed that I—a 33-year-old, married mother of two—was sad while staying with them. I was in my hometown for a medical appointment, so they took me out for frozen yogurt and a play at the beach. My grandparents asked if they could take me out for a 'granddaughter day' because they wanted to cheer me up. So wholesome.
  Now I'm in comfy pajamas, having been tucked into bed by my 82-year-old Oma. What a gem. dwhutt / Reddit

• Grandma Rosa wasn’t my real grandma, but she raised me when my parents left to study. When my mom remarried and had my brother, Danik, Grandma Rosa also loved him like her own. One night, as I massaged Grandma’s back, Danik came to the room, screaming in panic. "Oh no! Grandma died!" My heart stopped. I turned slowly to Rosa and saw she was perfectly fine beside me. I exhaled, finally realizing. “Danik, Mom called you, didn’t she? It was your grandmother who died. Grandma Rosa is fine.” Danik sighed, looking relieved. "Phew, I was already scared!" Grandma Rosa laughed for a long time and was amused when Danik found out she was still alive.

• When I was little, around four, I would walk up to my grandma and say, 'Granny, can we go to the fairies?' Then she would take me to a really cool place in her garden, where she had grown vines to form a roof. She placed a napkin down and told me to go inside and come back in a couple of hours. When I did, there would be freshly baked treats on the napkin. Twenty-two years later, I still think about it. iminyourhouse*** / Reddit

• When I left for college, we stopped at their house in the middle of the 6-hour drive. Grandma slipped me a $20 and said, “Don’t tell Grandpa.” Grandpa slipped me a $20 and said, “Don’t tell Grandma.” Last time I saw him alive. The memory makes me smile. Shimmering_Fields / Reddit

• My grandma is turning 92 this year. She was a smart, hard-working teacher who raised eight successful children. She has also had a difficult life. As a child, she had to flee her home. She almost died while giving birth to my uncle. Currently, she's blind, has breast cancer, and a poor liver. Right now, she's at the hospital receiving a blood transfusion and fighting. Despite all this, she's still a happy person. I love her so much! azkevinn / Reddit

• My maternal grandma was a farm wife who taught herself to cook after she got married. Her 9 grandchildren loved her farm breakfast. Bacon or sausage. Oatmeal. Eggs cooked to order. Bisquick biscuits or blueberry muffins. Even as teens and young adults we dragged ourselves out of bed to have her breakfast. ParticularYak4401 / Reddit

• I was raised by a single mom who didn’t have extra money for vacations. Every summer my grandparents would take me on a trip. We would often go to Chincoteague Island or to a National Park. They worked hard to instill a love of nature and wild places in me. My husband and I are now enthusiastic backpackers. We take our own two boys on a couple of different trips every year so they can experience nature across the US. Every trip, as soon as we get home, I call my grandma to tell her all about it. She’s 92 now, and she would be out there with us if she could. NaturalBornChickens / Reddit

• Honestly, every memory with my grandfather is my favourite. He died when I was young so I've got very few of them and he was such an incredibly kind man. He taught me how to play football and build snowmen, he used to drive me around in his convertible and he'd take me to art museums and the theatre and the symphony. He never judged me, he was never mean to me, he was just a loving, wonderful man who always gave out lots of hugs and told me how much he loved me. Captain***H*** / Reddit

• My grandpa died last year, and a few months ago, we sold the house he built for the family in the '70s. In the '90s, he built a pool, and I, being the youngest of my cousins, usually spent the summer there as the only kid.
  In the pool, we used to play 'garbage truck.' He would be the garbage man, and I would be the garbage (in hindsight, it's weird, but I have fond memories of it). He yelled, 'Garbage truck is here!' then would throw me in the water. I miss him a lot. Berenillde / Reddit

• When I was little, my dad and I would get up super early and go pick up my grandparents, and we'd go crabbing. It was so much fun. Gammy would bring a huge amount of food (lol), and we'd snack as we watched Dad and Pop Pop grabbing huge crabs with their nets.
  When they needed a break, they would grab drinks and dig into the food while Gammy and I took turns pulling up the crabs. I loved being close to her and also seeing Pop Pop and Daddy laughing. I felt safe and loved, and it was a good time in my little life.
  I miss them. Wintermoon54 / Reddit

• My maternal grandmother was the only grandparent that I had, and she was more than enough. Every school holiday, my siblings and cousins would leave our parents' houses and fill my grandmother's small but so cosy, four-roomed house.
  
  She was always ready to welcome us all into her space, no matter how many heart attacks we almost gave her. She'd insist on feeding us, even when we tried to convince her we were full; she'd prepare the living room for us to sleep comfortably—there wasn't space for all 12 of us in the bedrooms—and she always believed in us, no matter how small the task was that we were doing.
  
  By the end of the holidays, our pockets would hang low from the money she gave us (I still don't know where she got all that money to give to us), and in our hearts, we carried the hope of returning to our grandmother's home.

• My parents got into a fight with my grandparents. So I didn't see them for 3 years and had no contact whatsoever. I was instructed to ignore phone calls, even on birthdays. This lasted from when I was 17 to 19. At 19, I moved out with my husband (at the time boyfriend) and I reached out to my grandparents to meet. My grandparents only speak Spanish and my parents never taught me the language. Whenever I saw my grandparents, I needed to have someone with me to translate. I spent my 3 years learning, practicing every day with my husband who is a native speaker.
  When I finally got to hug them, I was able to tell them how much I missed them in their mother language. I'll never forget how my grandfather teared up and told me he couldn't believe I was standing in front of him and speaking to them in their language. He looked at my husband and thanked him for bringing me back to the family. I haven't seen my grandpa cry since. hopefulalex / Reddit

• One of my favorite memories of my late grandparents. When I was a child and would stay over for the weekend or a few days, my grandma would buy me two kinds of snacks—very healthy, and the total opposite.
  While I would happily eat both, if my dad came over to check on me or if it was time to pick me up to take me back to my mom, he would ring the building intercom. She was on the 20th+ floor in a fancy condo with a view of the lake, and it felt like you could see the whole city.
  'Quick! Go on and swap the snacks, he's coming up!' she would say after hanging up the phone, and she'd help me stash the good stuff.
  When he entered, I'd be sitting wherever I was, eating a fruit leather or something. newbreeginnings / Reddit
  
  

• Waking up in the morning to the sound of a spoon being stirred in a coffee mug. Grandma and grandpa would be sitting at the dinner table, drinking coffee. Grandma would be cleaning beans while grandpa read the paper. Every morning. As soon as we would walk into view, Grandma would get up and immediately start rolling fresh tortillas. We would get a hot tortilla with butter and salt, rolled up. Grandpa would belly laugh as he read the funnies. Grandma would hum tunes as she cooked in her frilly apron. instant_ramen_chef / Reddit

While we wish we could freeze-frame certain moments, we can't. Here are 12 photos where the effects of time are clearly visible.