Grandma Martha
Ah, Grandma Martha. She was the epitome of what a grandmother should be. She was very down to earth, loving and fun. She was the type of person who was always helping other people. She was non-judgemental, would keep your secrets to her grave.
Perhaps part of that came from her being left to raise 4 children on her own. My grandfather, again someone I never met, did the proverbial disappearing act while going to the store to buy cigarettes, at least that is the way I remember the story.
Martha worked hard to earn enough money to feed her four children. My father, Tommy, his sister Evelyn, his younger brother Don, and a sister I never met, who had died early from choking on a jaw-breaker.
My grandmother never brought a man into her life while she was raising her children. It wasn’t until the children were grown and gone that she remarried. He never acted the part of Grandfather though.
Every summer we would get to go stay with my grandmother for a week, something we always looked forward to.
She was warm and loving, and always made sure we had a great time. She would take us to Disneyland, or Pacific Ocean Park, take us to the movies. And fed us well.
Unlike my Grandmother Elizabeth, when I was with my Grandma Martha, I always felt loved and accepted for who I was, with no expectations to be something I wasn’t.