Shaun's B-day greetings

To Grammie;

Grammie has always been special to me. As far back as I can remember I called her "Grammie Denver" for obvious reasons, and you can imagine my surprise when I found out that Denver wasn't actually her last name!

Then there was our "Tea Time". She'd sit me down at the table and we'd eat some Keebler cookies, the type that had vanilla on one side and chocolate on the other. She'd always present one to me and explain that one side was "Afro" and the other "Anglo". I always loved that part and the cookies just didn't seem to taste as good if she wasn't there to do that. I think that was my first lesson in racial diversity, too.

Grammie almost single handedly introduced me to British television and wit and did so through "Are you being served?". Oh, how I loved that show and never has a woman and her kitty cat ever been so interesting and funny to me!

No trip to Grammie and Papa's would be complete without a visit from Mr. John and Mr. Furnace. That always helped me feel so comfortable there. Also, the suitcase with Legos, Davy and Goliath on TBN, rides in the matching Chevy Novas, toys on the back patio and the infamous and delectable "Grammie eggs" were among the more memorable experiences I could expect when Grammie was near! To this day I still love Grammie eggs and make them often, although, not quite as tasty and perfectly balanced. She just has that certain je ne c'est quoi when it comes to her treats! There was also something so intriguing about that pencil sharpener in her office that I loved. I'm not sure if anyone else remembers it or was even intrigued by it, but I just couldn't get enough of flipping that lever and attaching/detaching it from the desk. Who needs a complicated toy, right?

As far as cultural exposure goes, besides the Keebler cookies and the BBC, Grammie introduced me to the wonderful world of Dinosaur park and the Children's museum. Those were my exotic vacation destinations and I was sure Grammie sold trips to them through her travel agency. One time she even took me to this great museum that had all of this great antique memorabilia like classic cars and weird bikes that had no chains but multiple cogs and gears. I could always count on Grammie to teach me something great and right up my alley! Another great time I had with Grammie was when she took me to Pikes Peak on a tour bus. We took the cog railway all the way to the top and saw wild turkeys running around in the woods. There was this group of Amish folk that was on board with us and Grammie explained how they only wear old school clothes and live old school lives. I was so amazed to discover that they were all wearing brand new Adidas and Nike shoes! I was instantly confused. We had a good chuckle about that. I still have pictures of that trip stored away in a keep sake tin.


Morally, the greatest lesson Grammie ever taught me was when were driving in her Nova, which I equated with the likes of a Lamborghini, and I was partaking in my usual car spotting. I spotted a BMW 325i and pointed it out to her. I was so sure that the person driving it must have been so spectacular, although I didn't articulate that to her, her first response to me was in the form of a question, "Do you think that makes the person driving that car a good person?". That halted my reasoning and has stuck with me ever since. Even to this day as I gaze at all of the really nice cars on the road it seems that her question resounds in my head each time and keeps me aware of what really makes a person good....nothing, that is, except the blood of Jesus.

There is so much more but those are the things I think back on the most. Thank you so much for influencing my life in so many unique and inspiring ways!

Happy birthday, Grammie!