Life before google...

I have been giving thought to how I can learn everything on google or you-tube. I have learned how to make hair bows, decorate cakes, create organizers. I have diagnosed our illnesses and found new dinner ideas. A world of knowledge is at my finger tips and as I talked to my Aunty Shelly about my wonderful Gramma, a thought came to mind...

Facts about gramma:

• Gramma was fully 100% Catholic Ukrainian


• She wed at a very young age, leaving her family for a shack and becoming a homesteader.


• She worked from before dawn until after dusk most of her life.


• She could have 'lunch' on the table in a matter of minutes regardless of the time of day.


• Lunch may consist of sandwiches, pickles and squares, or meat in gravy, vegetables in cream, coleslaw and squares.


• Lunch can be 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 7pm 9pm 11pm or anytime in between.


• Gramma always had buckets of squares in the house.


• Gramma was the most amazing cook ever.


• Gramma had two gardens, the small one being the size of three city lots and the large one being acres.


• Gramma was full of patience with her grandkids, she let them help do everything, make perogies, ice cakes, garden, feed animals, or paint.


• At one point Gramma only owned 1 good bra, it was black and pinned together.


• One time when gramma was on a diet she snuck a Mars bar, but in the days of littering being socially acceptable, grampa found it on the running board of the van. Even in 1982 that is how you spell BUSTED.


• Gramma would weep with joy at the sight of her grandkids coming in the yard, and would weep in sadness when they had to leave.


• Gramma never did anything for herself.


• Gramma would sacrifice anything for those she loved.


• Gramma was glad to die of cancer, when she seen the young moms at the cancer clinics, she was glad it was her and not one of her daughters or grand-daughters.


• Gramma was an amazing woman who inspired us all.


• Gramma had no idea how amazing she was.

One of the most amazing things about Gramma, was she did all of this without a dishwasher, a computer or even google! Gramma was on her own, she could not call her sister to vent about a bad day, nor could she call her mother for parenting advice. Gramma did not a have a walmart let alone a safeway. There was no such thing as fast food drive-thru or frozen pizza. Gramma did everything by will power, determination and hard work.

As I sit here with my laptop, dishwasher running, fan going, cell phone beeping, I wonder could I have done it? How lucky I am. In an instant I can learn anything I want from the google, I can have my sister on the phone, while I email my mother, all while I do the dishes, wash the clothes, knead the bread, make supper and most likely wishing I had some gadget I don't already own. And yet I accomplish a fraction of what she did in a day.

My gramma, a woman who gave all and loved all.

Me, Heather a woman who gives some, loves most and dreams of someday being like her gramma.