How Important Are Grandparents?

I was recently thinking back to my childhood years. Thinking about all the good times spent with my Grandparents. The times I'll never forget. The Grandparents I adored. The Grandparents who could do no wrong. The Grandparents who helped mold me into the person I am today. Their loss, was a loss that changed my whole life.
As a child, I cherished the times my family and I visited my Grandparents.They were the best.
They lived in a big beautiful house with a huge garden out back. I enjoyed helping my Grandfather with the garden as a child. Maybe that's the reason I love working in my own flower garden. My Grandson Austin used to be out there helping me whenever he came to the house. He enjoyed helping in the garden as much as I enjoyed helping my Grandfather. Without Austin, they're not so enjoyable anymore.
The times I spent at my Grandparents were always happy times. The best times of my childhood.
I learned to read at a very young age. I thank my grandfather for that. I used to sit with him and read important letter's. Letter's most six year old's could neither read or understand. He gave me books to take home and my favorite book was a book of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. When I went back to visit, he used to test me on my reading skills, making sure I was doing my best.
My Grandmother was just as special. She was always happy to see us. She always treated us with milk and cookies and was the nicest person you'd ever want to meet.
Every Christmas Eve was spent at my Grandparents. The entire family gathered from all around for a huge celebration. Everyone used to bring all kinds of home made desserts. Christmas Eve was always special. We got to see all of our relatives whom we hadn't seen in so long.
Throughout the year my Grandparents were always shopping for Christmas. They put together a huge box for each family filled with all kinds of odds and ends. Each of the kids were given their own special presents and  Santa Claus always showed up.
When my Grandfather passed away, everything changed. There were no more celebration's at their house. No more working in the garden. Nothing. My Grandmother, as well as the rest of us were lost without him. Life just wasn't the same.
My Grandmother sold their big, beautiful house and we saw her less and less. Family get together's were a thing of the past. Life just wasn't the same and got even worse after her death. It seemed like the whole family just split apart. Everyone went their own way and the only family get together's were wakes and funerals.
I can definitely say my Grandparents played a huge part in my life, as I'm sure ALL Grandparents play a huge part in every child's life. Grandparents help mold a child into the person they become as a grown up.Grandparents ARE important and should never be pushed out of a child's life. They are just as important as the child's parents. The bond a child shares with his/her Grandparents is a special bond.A bond that can never be forgotten. Never broken. Never destroyed by anyone or anything.
To my Grandparents, you were the best!