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GRANDMA'S GINGERBREAD HOMES
My Grandma was a little different., Dad used to say it was in her chromosomes,
For example at Christmas we didn’t make gingerbread houses, she called them Gingerbread homes.
“We’ll make a nice home for when a gingerbread man and a gingerbread woman wed.
“After all”, she’d say, “even gingerbread families need a nice roof over their heads.”
Grandma would say, ‘It’s my hope that long after I’m gone…long after I am dead
You’ll remember the lessons you learned as we made homes out of gingerbread”.
And today as my wife and I make gingerbread homes with our grandchildren…as we watch them sprinkle on the snow I remember the lessons Grandma taught us…in her kitchen all those years ago.
She said, “have fun when you’re in the kitchen…don’t worry about making a mess.”
When we asked her to do something she’d say, “it’s easy to say no to your children…sometimes try saying yes.”
On days when our homes fell down and we didn’t think ourselves very good cooks Grandma would say, “a house made with love is never as bad as it looks!”.
It didn’t matter how our homes turned out Grandma was always thrilled…and if she saw we were dejected or crying…she’d help us to rebuild.
“This is another beauty of life and gingerbread homes,” she’d say, “for no matter how many times it takes…every time we rebuild or make a new home…we‘re learning from our mistakes”.
“Every time we make a gingerbread home .” She’d say, “as we make more and more and more…each new home turns out a little better than the home we made before”.
This year our grandchildren outdid themselves…the kitchen was a total mess
and when they asked if they can add more snow to their homes…remembering Grandma we enthusiastically told them YES!.
For its our hope they will remember this moment…these lessons long after their Grandma and I are dead…lesson they will pass on to their grandchildren as they make their homes out of gingerbread.
