Karen+Hopkins

KAREN - YOU NEED TO POST YOUR JOURNAL 1 HERE! ~ Prof. Wendt 1/9

Journal 1 My Paradigm Shift Several years ago I took people for granted. I took the time I have with people close to me for granted. On holidays my family would all go to my grandparents. My grandma would be in the kitchen cooking away. My sister and aunts would also be in the kitchen, I always thought they were just putting the finishing touches on the dish they brought. I had always thought that on the holidays the women were in the kitchen cooking, the men watching TV and the kids playing. I later found out that the reason for the women always in the kitchen was not to cook. Only a couple of years ago one of my grandfathers died. I was not particularly close to him, but his death made an impression on me and changed my way of thinking. I asked myself, “How much time do we have with those who are close to us, those we love, or ourselves?” I realized that if one of my grandparents dies, so could the others, the ones I am very close to. If my grandparents die, my dad could. Something as simple as a life got my thinking about life, mortality, tomorrow, the future, and what I have wasted in the past. Each holiday I go to my grandparents could be the last time I see one of my relatives. I still believe that on the holidays the men are to watch TV, the kids play, but the women aren’t in the kitchen to cook, they are there because they care about grandma. After my grandfather’s funeral, I too spent holidays in the kitchen. I helped with any little thing I could to make things easier for Grandma. At home, I started cooking and cleaning so that after a long hard day on the farm my dad didn’t have to worry, he could relax. I asked for recipes from both my grandmas, I started knitting and canning and jamming. The knowledge my grandparents have could be lost with them, my mom doesn’t know how to knit or can or has all of the scrumptious recipes. I need to absorb whatever I can; the things I learn will be a lasting reminder and memory of those I love. Time is short, life is fragile and unpredictable. Enjoy what is in front of you while it is still there and while there is still time. I lost time with my grandfather, but I will not lose those I have right now and will cherish those I do have.