Nana's Glasses

Nana's Glasses

Growing up we did not get to see our grandparents on my dad's side very often because they lived in California and we were planted in Illinois. California, in the pre-interstate days, was a very long, hot, crowded car trip away and plane rides were really not an option. My grandparents did come to visit us in Illinois on a few occasions. They would travel by train and we would pick them up in Galesburg for their week stay. Mom would always be in a cleaning frenzy the week before and we were all expected to be on our very best behavior while they were visiting. There was a lot of pressure not to bicker with your siblings and mind your manners and act like the "Father Knows Best" family, not our family. There was always a list of Illinois tourist hotspots to take them. Lincoln's Tomb, Lincoln's House, and New Salem were the Springfield favorites.

We had a guest room in our house in Springfield and my Bob Bob and Nana would spend time away from the chaos of the house relaxing in their room. My bedroom was next to theirs, so I used to wander into their room and yak their ears off. The main reason I would wander in was to see Nana's jewelry and her case with her extra glasses pieces. She had frames that had removable top pieces. She could change the color of her frames to match her dress. THIS WAS COOL. The frames top piece was a hard plastic in blue or green or black with little flecks of silver glitter. I loved watching her change the color by snapping on and off the top piece. The color of her glasses frame was the first thing I focused on every time I saw my grandmother. Unlike today where people get new frames every few years, I never remember seeing my Nana with any other glasses the entire time I knew her. My fascination with her glasses was the glue to my relationship with my grandmother. She taught me some Danish, the name for your fingers (Tumble Tot, Schlik-a-pot, Long mon, Gulda bron, and Lille pate spille mon) and knit us wonderful slippers or sweaters for Christmas, but the glasses, for me, was what was special. Her glasses were the constant, the one thing that did not change and the one thing that we connected on that brought us together.