Memory of Grandma Becky

I guess with the passing of one relative you start to flood your mind with memories.  I've recently experienced memories flooding back from my other grandma on my father's side who past about 2 years ago.
As a child, I felt she was the mean Grandma - stern, strong, almost cold.  But as an adult, especially after my grandfather passed, she softened up alittle. I remember one time seeing her smile, a really big smile, and thinking, Wow, I haven't seen that much before now. 
One memory - we were sitting around the family pool, hanging out with several family members including my grandmother. A young mom with a baby was talking (whining) about not being able to clean, or vacuum, due to the child crying when she put him into the playpen. She was telling the story of working alittle and picking him up to console him and then working alittle. This vicious cycle.
My grandmother spoke up and said you have one. I had 8!  It was rather comical, really it was. It was so direct like grandma and funny at the same time.  It did make me realize that we have such modern silly ideas sometimes of parenting. I also realized that my own "perfect" parenting quest should end and "just do it". Our grandparents didn't read parenting books, listen to parenting lectures, or ask everyone in the neighborhood what they think of parenting, they simply did their best. Perhaps even trust God to take care of their short falls; trust God with their children's faith, their children's well being. It was definitely a simplier time. Even my own childhood was much simplier than today's generation, of which I am raising one myself. oops, 2 now.
When I first came home after divorce, we went to visit my grandma. My son is very wiggly, full of energy and can't sit still for very few minutes at a time. She looked at me and said why can't he be quiet and sit there with his hands in his lap, like one of the other great grandchild had done.  Well first of all my child has personality, alot of it! and you shouldn't compare children. God made us all differently so we wouldn't get bored in the world. It didn't take long before she warmed up to my son over the years. He would walk over to her house and they would play checkers and old maid. The checker board is probably older than me. The old maid cards I remember playing with her when I was a child.  
Grandma Becky was a character. She could be funny, whimsical; but also direct, if not blunt. We loved her and admired her for the life she lived, the life she survived.