Making due

Our morning walk was a beautiful cool crisp one where the aroma of breakfasts seep through closed doors and out into the streets. That aroma brought with it a memory that I hold close but never realized it's meaning until this morning. It reminded me of days gone by. We'd all pack into the car and head over to my grandparents house where we'd meet up with aunts, uncles and our cousin and settle in for a grand holiday feast. My grandparents had 7 children, those children had childen so to say there was a lot of us is an understantment. Yet my grandparents house wasn't really a house at all, it was a two bedroom apartment where they lived for the majority of their lives as my grandparents.

Their home may not have been a house but there was no denying it a home. It was filled to the brim with love, laughter and gatherings. It was a standard issued apartment, a two bed, one bath, galley style kitchen and little patio. Yet on many a holiday or simply a Sunday, they'd add the leaf to the dinning table (if you were seated by the patio door you'd know to use the washroom before settling in, otherwise there was no getting back up)! The kids had the "kids table", which on every other day was their coffee table. Yet we didn't mind it at all! It was a grand! Grandma would deck out our table as prettily as the big table. Our napkins would be rolled into our "wine" glasses (only years later did we realize they were stemmed orange juice glasses). She would set our table with large plates, salad plates and we had the same knives, forks and spoons set up around them as the big table did. Even her olives had their own silver platter and little spoon! My grandparents hosted many a holiday and no one wined about having to share one bathroom, ok, ok so I do recall telling my sisters to hurry it up from time to time, but my point is, they made due with what they had. They opened their door to family and weren't shy about the lack of space their home offered. No one complained about having to sit at the kitchen table while others sat on the couch or piano stool. We made due, and enjoyed each others company. This realization stopped me in my tracks. I have been living a life of "when we have this...we'll be happy".

Once again, my Granny has been an invaluable part of my life and my inspiration. So from now on I promise to open my door to family and friends and invite them to gather around our little table or squeeze onto our sofa and make memories.

~ Marcia