My Grandma & Grandpa

Lovely to hear that you were so close to your grandparents, and they were evidently a big part of your young days. It sounds like a really warm relationship.

Oh it was Shelia. Some of my best memories are with my grandparents. I would stay with them for half the Summer during school years - Every day an adventure - not all good ones but mostly. lol

Another fantastic photo with a lovely memory for you. The connection between your grandfather being an engineer who built the railway/railroad you now use to travel on is heartwarming. Your relationship with them, as Sheila has said was obviously very close and holds a lot of memories too. Lots of adventures!

I, like you, Bathgate, spent lots of time with my paternal grandparents. They looked after me all the time my parents were at work before I started school and after, and I remember them fondly. They had endless patience. My g'father was a tailor working from home and I spent ages with him when I was very little learning how to sew rows of buttons onto strips of binding. Sadly, I didn't inherit his ability! G'mother could grow anything in her small strip of a garden, particularly redcurrants and blackcurrants. Any tip or piece of plant passed on from a neighbour would grow for her.

Priceless memories Anget and not just memories. They played a vital role in who you are today - and we all benefit from that! I grew up in a small crowed house with 5 siblings. So my mom would 'unload' some of us on grandma so mom could have a breather. I had a lot of one on one time with grandpa as he took me to the zoo and showed me all the animals and what they were - I got to ride an elephant and he showed me the dinosaurs at the museum. That was awesome! The blue whale, that is still around today is a lot bigger than any dinosaurs that ever lived - but staring into the jaws of T-rex is priceless - Still intimidating even though it's just bones. What a beast tyrannosaurus rex must have been - all those teeth and those eyes wow! Mom didn't have time to take me there. And those bats at the zoo! I found out what echolocation is. They do it with such precision in complete darkness. Amazing!

What a beautiful couple and such wonderful memories Paul and to travel each day on a road your grandpa helped to build thats something special . my grandparents passed before I was born also my mother when I was 3 ... I envy people with happy childhood memories to treasure ..

Oh Amy, I'm sorry to hear that . . . very sad for you.

Amy - I'm so sorry you never got to know your grandparents and your mother. To be honest, we also had plenty of hardships & tragedies too, but I choose to focus on the positive aspects and learn to forebear and work through our differences. Easier said than done as I'm sure you know and not everybody made it through. By God's mercy I have.

My grandparents lived through 2 world wars and the Great Depression. Their whole world in Poland was blown to bits. They came here with nothing and only understood Polish. Tuberculosis stole 2 of their children and here I stand. They did it for me! So when they took me to the zoo to ride the elephant, we savored every moment. Then we went to see the alligators. lol. I was too young to know anything. Did you notice my father is missing from this story? That's for another day.

It was Tuberculosis that took my mother Paul I was taken away in the night separated from my two older brothers I didn't know why or where they were we were sent to different relatives to be looked after ... I missed them so much .. we didn't get back together again until years later ....

That's a lovely photo Bathgate. I'm glad you had a good relationship with your family.
I always say I was born into the wrong family because I have nothing at all in common with any of them except my dad's mother who loved the garden. Most of the others were either snobbish, arrogant, or surly, and got on my nerves ...

I have several boxes of old photos, from my family and also Beryl's, and I am in the process of labelling them so that I can give the ones from Beryl's family to her niece, together with a scrap book in which I'm writing down everything I remember Beryl saying about her relations from when she was a little girl. It's nice to keep the memories alive so that future generations can know about life in the past.

I agree Hywel. I keep a journal - not every day, but I like to write my thoughts about family and friends. It’s fascinating to me to read about things which I’d quite forgotten!

Amy - I'm sure it was done with your best interest in mind though very crudely it seems. Tuberculosis is a ruthless killer. When I was very small, I was forbidden to ever contact my father or I would be sent away to live with strangers. My dad was my best friend. After highschool, I secretly went to find him and rekindled our friendship until he passed away about 5 years ago. Those were wonderful years.

Thanks for your comment Hywel. Yes - I get it. I know. Me too! So many skeletons in the closet. I used to wonder why my older brother Mark looks so different from everybody else. He's definitely NOT Polish or Irish. I know what you're thinking and I think so too. It really doesn't matter - to me.

Thanks Sheila. I love reading about other people's life stories.

They are a very attractive couple Paul and you must be so proud riding your Grandpa's railway every day. And to make such a good life in a totally new country. Such lovely memories you have and a wonderful bond with them..:))

Thanks Janey. They are very inspiring to the human spirit and testament that we can accomplish anything we want in this world.

Yes, against all odds Paul. Positivity and determination to make a new life .....so inspiring.

What a lovely photo. Thank you for sharing your memories with us. However, it made me sad reading it and the comments, so many diseases and wars that affected so many families, mine included.

Something I need everyday Janey - positivity and determination to make a new life against all odds.

Thank You Siris, unfortunately that's the reality of the world we live in, but the good times definitely outweigh the bad. So sorry about your losses