My grandmother Agnes was always very special to me. When I was three my mom started working as a part time bookkeeper. My sister would get on the school bus to go to all day kindergarten and my mom would then drive me to Grandma’s house. I would stay with her for most of the day and Mom would pick me up so we could get back home to meet the school bus again.
Those days with Grandma were special. She had a cat named “Bridget O’Flynn”. If I called the cat Bridget she would correct me, “Kim, the cat is Bridget O’Flynn”. She told me she named the cat after a dear friend in Ireland.
My grandmother was an immigrant who came to the United States in 1930. She was sponsored by a cousin because her family in the County of Wexford, Ireland felt my Grandma was in danger of becoming an old maid. Her chances for marriage were better in America. She never got to go back to Ireland again.
Because I got to spend so much of my childhood with my Grandma, we had a special bond. Her house was right across the street from my school. We would visit with her almost every day after school and then Grandma would serve us a cup of hot tea with Irish soda bread and send us home.
When I was nine my Grandfather died. It left my dear Grandma Agnes alone. Also, the house they lived in belonged to the church and since my grandfather worked for the parish, they got the house as a job benefit. Now that grandpa was gone, Grandma Agnes had to move.
She found a second floor apartment over a shoe store downtown. The discount store Newberry's was across the street. I could walk to the apartment from my house so I would frequently visit her.
My birthday is December 20th. It is a crazy time with Christmas planning and my birthday often gets lost in the chaos. I had an aunt who said “oh that’s right, Kim, it's your birthday. Go ahead and open your Christmas present from me early.” My birthday was often forgotten.
Grandma Agnes asked me to come to her apartment on my 13th birthday in 1972 and she had a birthday gift for me. I was very excited to be a teenager. I opened the gift and it was a Christmas tree angel. I could tell she bought it across the street at Newberry's discount store. I was not that thrilled to get a Christmas decoration for my birthday. But I loved her so much I thanked her and gave her a big hug. She made the effort to remember my day. Little did I know that that angel that I wasn’t thrilled with would become such an important gift.
In June of 1973, Grandma Agnes died. That Christmas angel would be my last birthday gift from Grandma. I pray to her often and still follow her advice. In fact, I named my cat Bridget O’Flynn.
Through the years the angel probably spent more time not being used for Christmas. At 13, I still lived at home and my parents had a beautiful star at the top of our tree, so I lit the angel and had it in my bedroom.
When I was married my husband didn’t like the angel so some years she didn’t make it to the top of our tree.
But in 2009, I started living on my own again and the angel has made the top of my tree for many years. Yesterday I was putting the angel on the tree and I did the math. The angel has been with me for 50 years. Every time I decorate, I think of Grandma Agnes.
So that gift that I was not really thrilled with for my 13th birthday, has given me joy for 50 years. Thanks Grandma for a truly special Birthday gift. You never know how important a small gift can become.
