52 Ancestors 2021: Week 6: Valentine

 

My maternal Grandparents, Jady & Glynda (Sandefur) Blanford, were always my Valentine's growing up. My birthday is February 12th, and Valentine's is the 14th. Not only would I go over for my birthday every year, but then I would go over for Valentine's.

I always bought those small boxes of Valentine's that kids would buy to hand out at school. Sometimes they were Spongebob themed, sometimes Hello Kitty, or whatever was popular at the time... and I would get a box of chocolates, too. I would take them over to my Grandparents and they would smile. Especially my Grandpa. My Grandpa was a more... "sappy" individual, if you will. My Grandpa was more of a sentimentalist, so I'm sure, somewhere in their things, I could probably find some of those old Valentine's if I looked hard enough.

But we would sit at the dining room table, they would drink their coffee, and we would laugh and talk.. eat chocolate.. and just have a good time. Valentine's Day, ever since they've passed, has felt so lonely. My birthday, too. 

My Grandparents were just a happy couple, and to me, on Valentine's Day... they embodied that. They worked hard for what they had. They raised two children, four Grandchildren, two technically "step" Grandchildren, and a lot of other "honorary" kids and Grandkids. The end of their life....well, it's a heart wrenching, sad, LifeTime Movie style story for another day. 

But for Valentine's... my Grandparents had the type of love I will always strive to have. They made it to 52 years married when Grandpa passed away, January 11th, 2015. I wish one day that I could see my 50th anniversary with someone.. but it's so rare of an achievement these days. Today's generation goes into marriage with the attitude, "well, if we end up not liking each other enough, we'll just get a divorce." 

Today's generation... they're ready for a wedding, not a marriage. They get married before they even really know who the person is that they're marrying. That's why marriages now last weeks, a couple months, maybe a few years if they're lucky. Today's generation, only a select few will get to make it to fifty years married. That's why I know, I'll wait for marriage as long as it takes, until I know I've absolutely found the right one... like  my Grandparents. I will never, ever settle. 

They're celebrating together this year.. Pepaw passed on January 11th, 2015, and Memaw on December 8th, 2015. It's hard to believe they've been gone for six years. It feels like just yesterday, I was going over there and giving them a Valentine and sharing a box of chocolates. I feel like the Forrest Gump movie quote, "life is like a box of chocolates," would very aptly go here. 

This year, I'll be spending Valentine's here at home, with my parents (who will be married 29 years on July 13th). I'm sure we will eat something good, exchange a Valentine card, and then I'll focus on doing genealogy... because right now, genealogy is my biggest love and biggest passion in life. I hope that never changes. 

We love and we miss you, Pepaw & Memaw. Every single day..