A Grandparents Day Reflection

Written by Zeke Perez Jr.

One of the beautiful aspects about writing for Nerds That Geek is the freedom to write about the things we enjoy. As nerds, geeks, or fans, we all have stuff we’re passionate about. Books, movies, sports, shows, whatever. Some of those things we stumbled upon ourselves, but many of them were ‘gifted’ to us, and that makes them even more important. The bonds and stories that go with them give us shared experiences that make them even more meaningful, all thanks to the people we share them with.
 
I wanted to do something special to commemorate the holidays that celebrate those people in our lives by writing pieces about them on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Grandparents Day. To keep things rolling in honor of my grandma, or ‘mamas’ as I’ve always called her, here is the finale of those articles!

For the majority of my childhood and all of my young adult life, my parents and I lived with my grandma. She helped raise me, getting me ready for school each morning when my parents were already gone to work and greeting me when I got back each day. She cooked meals, made sure I was in before too late, and helped shape who I am. In fact, the first time she came to meet me at the hospital, she held me and got me to settle down when no one else could get me to stop crying. The support started then and never stopped.
 
I would be remiss if I didn’t start by saying that I probably wouldn’t be writing this article right now if it weren’t for my grandma, who fostered my love of reading and writing. Every morning, when she’d wake me up for school or when I’d roll out of bed on the weekends, she would have the newspaper sitting out for me. I mostly stuck with the sports page and the comics section when I was younger, before I graduated to the rest of the paper. This fueled one of my early dreams of being a sportswriter. Later in life, I tapped into that passion and started writing here for Nerds That Geek.
 
Thanks to my parents and my grandma, books were always around the house. Mamas really encouraged my love of reading through one of my favorite books and fantasy worlds: Harry Potter. My great-uncle Arthur, mamas’ brother, gifted me with The Sorcerer’s Stone. Mamas and I would read it together every night. Mostly she would read it aloud to me, until eventually I started taking a turn and doing some of the reading. We became engulfed by the story and its characters, never wanting to put the book down. We continued the journey together, following along as each new book came out. We even went to go see the first movie in theaters, nearly ducking during the Quidditch match, when it looked like the bludgers would fly right off the screen out at us.
 
She’s given me a pride in and a knowledge of my hometown of Denver. I still love talking to her and hearing stories about the city and the state. Where she’s lived, how things used to be, what to know. Did you know that the cheeseburger was invented and first trademarked in Denver? Or that Colfax is the longest continuous street in the U.S.? These only scratch the surface of everything I’ve learned from her.
 
Just as all grandkids will say, my grandma is the best at comfort food. For a while, I wanted to be a chef and, again, that is thanks to mamas. We were often in the kitchen baking cookies together when I was a kid. Just last month, she baked me a delicious cake for my birthday. Her turkey and all the fixings are a highlight of any holiday (or on any of the other days we use as an excuse to eat turkey). And any time I go over to visit, I cross my fingers that she has grilled cheese and tomato soup on hand for lunch. I’ll never find a better tasting grilled cheese and tomato soup anywhere else.
 
She is my biggest fan, always eager to hear about what I’m up to and always proud of me, no matter how small it is. You might’ve seen a trend throughout the article. I’ve wanted to be a lot of things in my life and she’s had a hand in inspiring each of those. Sportswriter, chef, athlete, architect, whatever. She would be cheering me on no matter what I decided to do. She always tells me to follow my dreams and whenever I’m trying for something, she’ll tell me ‘You’ve got it in your hip pocket.’ She has also volunteered many times to ‘kick them in the shins’ if she feels people are treating me poorly. It’s magical to have someone like mamas in your corner.
 
I never got to meet my Grandpa Nick, her husband, but from what she tells me, I got a lot from him too. My love of sports being the biggest thing, but my character and other interests too. On my dad’s side, I never got to meet my Grandma Cecilia and I knew my Grandpa Zeke only briefly. That makes me appreciate my time with mamas even more. I’m glad I still get to call her, visit her, and learn from her. Happy Grandparents Day, mamas! Thank you for everything you’ve given me and for always being there to cheer me on. Guess what? I love you!