Have you ever said to yourself that you wished you had asked your parents or grandparents more about what it was like for them growing up?
Several years ago, my husband and I asked my parents to go on a cruise with us. We thought that going on a cruise would be a perfect opportunity to get away for a few days and spend some quality time together. But, we had to sell them on the idea.
I’m a Baby Boomer; and if your parents are like mine, you have probably heard that they feel that they cannot travel anymore. My parents told me that it would be too difficult. My Mom has Parkinson’s disease and my Dad has every kind of arthritis known to mankind. Getting around is not easy for either one of them. But, Mom wanted to see Glacier Bay – and so it was, we booked a cruise to Alaska! Once we boarded the ship and unpacked, our wonderful journey began.
This ended up being one of the best cruises we’ve ever been on. Not because of the itinerary, not because of anything other than it was a chance to spend some quality time with my parents.
My Dad had done some genealogy research and so we had some basic information. We knew that there would be time during the cruise to bring this up in the conversation. And, so it was…Once we sat down and asked them the first few questions, we were greeted with smiles and all sorts of stories. One story would trigger another memory and another and another. They enjoyed sitting in their deck chairs; and I couldn’t write or type fast enough. We talked about their childhood, their memories of growing up during the Depression, and memories they had of their parents or grandparents. The stories we heard were fascinating. After the first time when we sat down they started asking us “What time are we going to do this again?”
During that cruise, I learned my great-grandmother was a widow with five sons. They lived back in Wisconsin. When the wife of one of her former beau’s passed away, she received a letter from him in California. He knew of her husband’s passing and asked for her hand in marriage. She packed up her five sons and her piano and boarded a train in Wisconsin and traveled all the way to Visalia, California. He met them at the train station; and they all walked across the street to the Justice of the Peace who married them on the spot. My Dad’s Dad (my Grandpa) was one of those five boys!
Think about doing something like this with your parents or grandparents before it’s too late. Don’t let your parents tell you “no”. Plan that family reunion or 90th birthday celebration! Dance one more time with your Mom or Dad or Grandma or Grandpa. Take one more picture. Live, laugh and love each other. Take advantage of your time together and find the time to sit down and ask them those questions that you’ve been telling yourself that you have been meaning to ask. Bring a thick pad of paper and plenty of pens and enjoy what is about to unfold before you.
Believe me – you’re gonna love it; and so will they. It will be the memory of a lifetime!
