What Grandmas Do

 A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day

Here are four photos of a scrapbook that my grandmother

made for me in the 1950s. It includes "The Life of Our Lord"

by Charles Dickens, that he wrote for his family in the 1840s.

The story was published as a serial

in the Paterson Morning Call newspaper.

THE SCRAPBOOK GRANDMA MADE FOR ME

 

I picked up my grandchildren

at Saint Mary’s elementary school

They tossed their heavy backpacks

into the back of the car

got in and fastened their seatbelts

They know the routine—

don’t need to be reminded anymore

 

As we drove off

I could hear them in the back seat

talking about Lent and fasting

Dean and Alana gave up electronics

Their big brother Logan

now in high school

gave up chocolate

Dean asked, “Grandma

what did you give up?”

 

I told Dean I didn’t give up

anything this Lent, instead

I give Jesus a gift of new poems—

Some days I spend quiet time

writing poems that give glory to Him

and every day I post

a Lenten poem on my blog

Dean said, “Wow! That’s a lot

of poems, Grandma!”

 

I explained that it’s perfectly fine

to give up things for 40 days, but

sometimes people do other things

like donating to a charity

or visiting the sick

or baking cookies for an elderly neighbor

anything that draws them closer to God

 

Then I thought about my own grandmother—

She lived next door

when I was growing up

Grandma loved the Lord

and often talked to me about Him

She even made me a special scrapbook

with a cardboard cover

that she decorated with flowers

she carefully cut

from a Burpee seed catalog

The scrapbook contained pictures of children

kittens and puppies, and Howdy Doody

but more importantly, it contained

the 11 chapter story by Charles Dickens

that he wrote for his children in the 1840s

called, The Life of Our Lord

The story was published as a serial

in the Paterson Morning Call, in the 1950s

 

I still have that scrapbook

still appreciate that Grandma took the time

to make it just for me

 

It’s the kind of thing grandmas do—

Important things like that

 

Maude Carolan Pych

For information about ordering

books of Maude's poetry

go to: www.maudecarolanpych.net

It's What Grandmas Do

 A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day...

Here are photos of my grandmother, Maude Lewis Walsh,

and the scrapbook she made for me in the early 1950s.

A poem about it follows.

THE SCRAPBOOK GRANDMA MADE FOR ME

 

I picked up my grandchildren

at Saint Mary’s elementary school

They tossed their heavy backpacks

into the back of the car

got in and fastened their seatbelts

They know the routine—

don’t need to be reminded anymore

 

As we drove off

I could hear them in the back seat

talking about Lent and fasting

Dean and Alana gave up electronics

Their big brother Logan

now in high school

gave up chocolate

Dean asked, “Grandma

what did you give up?”

 

I told Dean I didn’t give up

anything this Lent, instead

I give Jesus a gift of new poems—

Some days I spend quiet time

writing poems that give glory to Him

and every day I post

a Lenten poem on my blog

Dean said, “Wow! That’s a lot

of poems, Grandma!”

 

I explained that it’s perfectly fine

to give up things for 40 days, but

sometimes people do other things

like donating to a charity

or visiting the sick

or baking cookies for an elderly neighbor

anything that draws them closer to God

 

Then I thought about my own grandmother—

She lived next door

when I was growing up

Grandma loved the Lord

and often talked to me about Him

She even made me a special scrapbook

with a cardboard cover

that she decorated with flowers

she carefully cut

from a Burpee seed catalog

The scrapbook contained pictures of children

kittens and puppies, and Howdy Doody

but more importantly, it contained

the 11 chapter story by Charles Dickens

that he wrote for his children in the 1840s

called, The Life of Our Lord

The story was published as a serial

in the Paterson Morning Call, in the 1950s

 

I still have that scrapbook

still appreciate that Grandma took the time

to make it just for me

 

It’s the kind of thing grandmas do—

Important things like that

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Maude Carolan Pych

My book, "Behold the Lamb...poetically!" is available online

at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

For information go to www.maudecarolanpych.net.

"At Grandma's Knee"

I was named after my paternal grandmother, Maude Ann Walsh. Grandmother lived right next door to us in what was then West Paterson, now Woodland Park, NJ. She often told me stories about Jesus and in the early 1950's, when I was very young, she made a scrapbook for me out of cardboard. Grandma decorated it with pictures of flowers snipped from a Burpee Seed catalog and pictures of cats, dogs, farm animals and dancing children that she found in various magazines of the day. Most importantly, inside the scrapbook was "The Life of Our Lord" written by Charles Dickens for his children. The story was printed with inconsistencies in spelling and punctuation that appeared in the original manuscript, which Dickens had not intended to publish. It appeared, as a series, in a local newspaper, probably the Paterson "Morning Call". I say that because I recall that was the newspaper that was delivered daily to her home.

The poem that follows appears in honor of my grandmother.

Maude Ann Walsh
paternal grandmother of Maude Carolan Pych

AT GRANDMA’S KNEE

In memory of my grandmother, Maude Ann Walsh

For all my grandchildren

When I was a child, sitting at my grandma’s knee

she told me about Jesus, Who gave His life for me.

She made for me a scrapbook all about the Lord,

to show me countless reasons why He should be adored.

I still have that scrapbook. I keep it with my treasures.

Looking through it time to time is among my pleasures.

She told of His birth at Christmas; Easter, it was the Cross;

told of the sins He saved us from, when His life was lost.

She made it clear she loved Him; I learned to love Him, too,

and I grew up to follow Him, all my whole life through.

Now I have grandchildren, who sit upon my knee;

I get to tell them of the things that mean the most to me.

I read them poems and sing to them…Oh! we laugh and play;

I hug and kiss and pray with them in my special way.

Of course I tell of Jesus and why I love Him so,

and oh I hope they’ll love Him, too, as they grow and grow.

Maude Carolan Pych