spring treasures

I love spring.  Okay, I know it's technically still winter, but in my mind spring has already sprung (even despite the white stuff on the ground) and what better way to celebrate spring than some good old spring cleaning?  This year, one of the projects on my spring cleaning checklist was the bookshelf in our sunroom/office.  I believe that each family has that one place in their house that is the "crap place"; the place where things get hastily shoved into when guests are coming over.  The place where you throw your school books and binders once the semester is over because you never want to look at them again.  We've got one, and I bet you do too.  Ours is the bookcase in our sunroom.  Ohhh, let me tell you, this bookcase was sooooo full of crap.  I think I made three trips down to the recycling bin.  It was full of stuff, however, now it looks so much better - thank goodness!

I knew that I would feel a lot better once I cleaned and organized this space, but I didn't expect that I would find a treasure.

"crap place" no more - all clean and organized

The treasure that I found was some simple pieces of paper stapled together, full of wonderfully lovely words which were mostly about my Opa, who passed away in 2006.  I miss him so much, more than words could ever express.  I ache that he didn't see me get married and will never know my children; he was so special to me and I wish that I could see him just one more time to let him know just how much I love him.

I completely forgot about this treasure - a list of questions that my Oma had answered about her husband - and it filled my heart with happiness to read it again.

Upon reading it a second time there was one answer, however, that stood out from the rest.  It was the answer to the question "When did you and Opa meet?".

"I guess we always knew each other since our villages are just 2 km apart and his mom's sister was our neighbour and he visited her sometimes.  Also, because we had a pub, he would come there.  I had a crush on him since I was 13 and I had a really hard time coping when he went to Canada in 1951.  When he came back to Germany for a holiday in 1954 I considered myself grownup and I fell madly in love with him again (or still).  Within a week we were engaged and another week later we got married.  I have never regretted it."

I cry each time I read it.  I'm crying as I type the words.  I love knowing in my heart that my grandparents loved each other more than anything.  I strive for my marriage to have as much love as theirs did; I think we're close.  I believe that the greatest gift they have ever given me is the faith that if you love each other unconditionally, you can get through everything and anything together.

Reading the list made me realize that our trip to Germany next year will be one of the most important and meaningful trips that I will ever take.  I get to see where my family comes from.  I get to visit the place where my grandparents started their love story with the love of my life holding my hand.  I can't wait.