Grandma’s Bread

mcherkezian — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:27:18 -0600

How does my big Armenian family celebrate Easter? We get together—four generations—for church, then a festive meal afterward. Probably not that different from the way your family celebrates. Except for the food, that is. We don’t have a particular holiday menu, but still, it’s quite a feast.

It's the Doing That Counts

admin — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:57:20 -0600

When I was in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War, I was scared—I admit it. I was in the communications ground crew with the F-117A Stealth Fighter Wing. Our radar-evading aircraft were the only manned fighters that dared to invade central Baghdad.

As I watched the black planes thunder down the runway, I couldn't help but think of the danger of Iraqi Scud missiles hitting our installations. Saddam Hussein's threats kept us on constant alert.

A Day to Remember

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:21:45 -0500

In sixth grade I wanted one thing in my future for sure: to play clarinet in the Coppell High School Band. But would I get in?

Grandma didn't doubt I'd be good enough. She always said I was destined for great things. In my first middle school concert, I scanned the audience for her when I got onstage. There she was in the front row, wearing her big signature glasses, her white hair piled like a cotton ball on top of her head. Once I saw her I knew I could perform.

But CHS was the big leagues. Did I really have what it takes?

Expect the Unexpected

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:21:22 -0500

Mama liked anything unusual. That's why she loved $2 bills.

Mama tucked one into my birthday card each year, a little reminder to expect the unexpected. This year, however, was my first birthday since Mama's death. Time to get used to things being ordinary, I thought on my way to work.

I flipped through the mail on my desk, mostly bills. I came to a blank envelope with my name printed on it. Is it a birthday card? I wondered. I opened the envelope. Inside was a crisp $2 bill. Life was still full of surprises.

Land Acquisition

mheller — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:57:46 -0600

My nephews and I own some land in the eastern slope of Colorado, far from where any of us lives.

It's not worth much, although once we hoped that it could produce uranium, but that was just a dream. We dream a lot about it, as though it had a magic all its own, almost like the way it came down to us.

It must have been about 1919 when a man appeared at my grandparents' place in Indiana asking for Carson Hamill, my grandfather. My grandfather came to the door and, to his surprise, recognized the man as a murderer and an escaped felon.

Latkes in a Wok

admin — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:00:00 -0600

"Are they done yet?" I'd ask my late great-grandmother, whom I called Bubbe, on the first day of Hanukkah. She prepared latkes, a type of potato pancake made just for the holidays.

"Almost, bubbula," she'd call back. I'd watch her hands deftly glide across the potatoes as she grated and chopped. "Someday you'll make these," Bubbe would declare, handing me that first latke from the frying pan.

Ecology Bread

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 11:59:00 -0600

Kaytee and I were meant to be. The first moment I caught sight of her at the office where we both worked, I leaned back in my chair to get a better look and toppled over. I guess you could say that I fell for her. Kaytee changed my life. She encouraged me to take better care of myself, quit smoking and get into shape. She and I would often go hiking through the nearby nature preserve, picking up garbage off the side of the trail. The day we were married, I knew Kaytee would make me happy forever. I wanted to do something special for her, something really surprising.

Grandmother's Prayer

admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:07:43 -0600

My grandmother was affected with Alzheimer's disease, and when she was no longer able to live alone, she went to stay at my uncle's house.

She needed help to dress. She lived in a constant state of confusion. She could still make sentences as she rambled on, but her sentences made no sense.

There was no way to carry on a conversation with her. And no longer was it feasible for her to attend church. She was literally cut off from everything she had treasured—including God.

My Grateful Heart

test_1 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:11:40 -0600

Before the tragic deaths of her mother and brother, GUIDEPOSTS spoke to Jennifer about the influence of her grandmother on her singing and her meteoric rise to fame.

Barbara Graham's 7 Laws of Grandparenting

mcherkezian — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:36:06 -0500

Barbara Graham, a Grandparents.com columnist, is the editor of the anthology, Eye of My Heart: 27 Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother (Harper, 2009), which tells "the whole crazy, complicated truth about being a grandmother in today's world."