My mother was a waitress at a popular restaurant. When she was pregnant with my younger brother, she had these regular customers, an older couple, Lil & Abe. They had only one son and no prospects for grandchildren. They developed a friendship with my mother, and she offered to them becoming honorary grandparents to the 7 of us kids.
Lil & Abe quickly became a permanent part of the family. Even though they lived in Connecticut & we lived in NH, they came to each and every family event: weddings, graduations, etc. We all mourned deeply when Grandpa Abe died, but Grandma Lil remained a steadfast part of our family.
Admittedly, the older kids in my family, although they CALLED her “Grandma Lil”, they all still felt of her as a close family friend; not so much me and my younger brother, for whom she was truly “Grandma”. When my brother died, she mourned for him as much as if he were a blood grandchild.
When Grandma Lil finally passed away, her surviving blood family decided that I, as her only “real grandchild”, should receive one of her most precious possessions: her wedding ring…which I still wear next to my own to this very day.
Apologies for the long story:
My mother was a waitress at a popular restaurant. When she was pregnant with my younger brother, she had these regular customers, an older couple, Lil & Abe. They had only one son and no prospects for grandchildren. They developed a friendship with my mother, and she offered to them becoming honorary grandparents to the 7 of us kids.
Lil & Abe quickly became a permanent part of the family. Even though they lived in Connecticut & we lived in NH, they came to each and every family event: weddings, graduations, etc. We all mourned deeply when Grandpa Abe died, but Grandma Lil remained a steadfast part of our family.
Admittedly, the older kids in my family, although they CALLED her “Grandma Lil”, they all still felt of her as a close family friend; not so much me and my younger brother, for whom she was truly “Grandma”. When my brother died, she mourned for him as much as if he were a blood grandchild.
When Grandma Lil finally passed away, her surviving blood family decided that I, as her only “real grandchild”, should receive one of her most precious possessions: her wedding ring…which I still wear next to my own to this very day.