Celebrating Grandparents

September 13th is Grandparents day. Did you know that? I only discovered it a few months ago. How did this celebration escape me for all these years?

Relationships with grandparents are really special. I only had one; my grandma, Stella Aucoin, pictured here. She died three years ago on November 2nd. My grandma has always been a big part of my life. My mother was a hard-working single mom. She did an incredible job of raising my brother and me, but she never could have done it without the help of her mother.

Mom worked 4 jobs to pay off the debt my dad had left and create financial stability for her family. Grandma ran the housekeeping department of a big hotel in downtown Toronto. After work she would come to our house to cook and clean and mend our clothes. Stella didn't really say a lot. She wasn't the kind of grandma who would hear about your day or play games with you. She was too busy for that. She showed her love through actions. We could taste it in her apple pie. Feel it in our freshly laundered clothes, and smell it in her homemade chicken soup with dumplings.

The days were too short for all she had to accomplish. Her mom died when she was only 8. She quit school to help out around the house, so she learned at a young age to be very efficient. Everything she did she did fast. From vacuuming the house, to rolling out dough, to beating the relatives at games of euchre.

Perhaps that's why one of my fondest memories is of the time she took me to see Disney on Ice at Maple Leaf Gardens when I was a little girl. It's not that the show was so great. I actually don't remember it. It wasn't that she had taken a day off work to take me, or that she paid for the tickets. My most powerful memory is racing for the subway. I was at the age where I had to take each step with both feet. Hold the handrail tight, step down with the right foot, then the left, find my balance and repeat. A painfully slow process by anyone's standards. I could hear the subway coming. I felt worried that we were going to miss it. I expected my grandma to hurry me along. I didn't want to slow her down, and I didn't want to be a disappointment. But she just held my hand, smiling at me, patiently waiting for me to take each step.

It's funny what we remember when someone is gone. Usually it's those little moments where love is expressed in actions that speak louder than words. Create some of those moments today with the people you love. Time passes quickly, and those moments you create today may be the ones that are cherished for a lifetime. I miss my grandma, and on September 13th I will celebrate her along with all of you who are lucky enough to have your grandparents with you.

Bcelebrated is celebrating grandparents and grandchildren from August 25th to September 25th. We encourage grandparents and grandchildren everywhere to enter our contest! Send us a picture and tells us what you celebrate most about your relationship. There will be prizes for the favorite entry. In fact, everyone who enters will get a gift from us, cause we love sharing with all of you! Find out more on our Contest Page.

Please join us in Celebrating Grandparents. Go to Bcelebrated.com and click on ENTER CONTEST to learn more. Then join us on Facebook to vote for your favorite story.