GRANDMA'S UMBRELLA

 There are some stories in a family…passed down from year to year

that are as much fun for us to tell…as they are for us to hear.

Grandma’s umbrella is one on these…”It’s my favorite!” She loves to say.

“It was given to me by your Grandpa…on our wedding day.”

She always smiles when she says that…remembering another time…way back when

and we always smile as we wait for her…to tell her story again.

And when she closes her eyes we know the story’s about to start….

as she repeats a tale she’s told a hundred times before…and one we know by heart

“He handed me this umbrella as we left our wedding just as it started to rain.

“This is the first gift I want to give you.” he smiled then said, “now let me explain.”

“Before tonight…before we were wed…before our stars aligned

when it rained you would put up your umbrella and I would put up mine.”

We were two individuals…with our own troubles…our own pain

and under our separate umbrellas…we took our chances in the rain

But now that we are married…as our life together will proceed 

whenever it’s raining in our life…one umbrella is all we’ll ever need.

“Under this umbrella…we will keep each other safe and dry and warm

Under this umbrella we can weather any storm.”

This is where Grandma opens her eyes saying…”And I want you kids to know..

this umbrellas is just like your Grandpa…two things I never will let go”.

“I know it’s old and weathered and isn’t as beautiful as it used to be…

here she laughs saying, “but you can say the same about your Grandpa and about me”.

This is where Grandpa likes to interrupt saying,

“How about we take a walk on down the lane…

and you better bring that old umbrella…because I think it looks like rain.”

And Grandma always winks at us as she’s done a thousand times before…

with one hand on her umbrella and the other holding Grandpa

as they both head out the door.