I awoke this morning thinking of my Grandpa Cooney. It would have been his birthday today. To me he was the best of grandpa's - loving, supportive and fun to be with. We enjoyed each other's company, and spent time together in his backyard picking raspberries. Raspberries were a favorite of both grandpa and me. On the night grandma taught cake decorating for adult education ( at Thomas Jefferson high school ), she would prepare dinner for grandpa and I before she left , then set up the cardboard table in the front room, cover it with a cheery cotton tablecloth , and arrange place settings for two. And always there would be raspberries, one bowl for grandpa, and one for me. I looked forward to those dinner dates with my grandfather, sharing our meal and talking about the little things we did that day. Grandpa was a good listener when I would tell him about my doll, or some make believe game grandma and I had played.
Grandpa was an upholsterer, and owned his shop Cooney's Upholstery in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Grandma often told the story of how I'd sit at the window waving at Grandpa when he left for work, then in the evening sit at the window watching for him to return. I'd rush to greet him at the door, and take him his bedroom slippers. I can still recall the smell of Borax soap Grandpa would clean his hands with when he got home, the BenGay to help ease his tired muscles, and the sweet smell of tobacco from the pipe he would smoke after he'd sit down in his favorite chair.
It was a special time between a grand-daughter and her grandfather, a time that wouldn't last forever; my parents, baby brother and I moved from Council Bluffs when I was still young girl , and my grandfather passed away when I was 12, but the joy, and experience of knowing Grandpa's unconditional love has lasted a life time.
.JPG)