I have been incredibly blessed and lucky to have Ruth Ventura as my grandmother. She was the embodiment of what grandmother means to me, she is my definition of the word.
Some of my fondest memories are from when I was 6 years old, living here in Terre Haute with my mom. I would get to spend nights with my Gram on the weekends and for me there was no other fun to have. We would have tea parties, and not just “play” tea parties either. She would get out her china and we would brew tea in the pot and sit and drink tea all morning. After that we would play my favorite game “jewelry store”. We would spend a lot of time setting up her TV trays as the store and then I would display all of her jewelry on them for her to buy back from me. I had prices, I had my sales pitch and she bought all of my wares – at a pretty reasonable deal, I might add. We would then spend the early evening making dinner, she would let me help and shared with me her love of great food. Finally we would end the night saying our prayers, she taught me the lords prayer line by line to say every night before sleeping. I am so thankful to my parents for making sure I had this time with Ruthie and these memories that are still very vivid to me today
Now that Ruthie is gone and there are no more tea parties to be had, I see her everywhere and I think about her throughout my daily routine.
For instance, whenever I see a Granny Smith apple I always think about her. She loved putting them in salads as a special touch.
I am not a big coffee drinker, unlike Ruthie who would have a steaming hot up of coffee many times throughout the day. But the smell of coffee brewing is so comforting to me, because it reminds me of her.
Food and cooking – Ruthie was an excellent, excellent cook. Her dinners and spreads could have been photographed for magazines. I love to cook, it is one of my favorite hobbies, and my passion for it is 100% Gram. But I also like to entertain, cook for people and have them over. This is due to Ruthie, and it inspired my cousin as well. One of these days I am going to spend an afternoon learning to make her Chicken and mushroom crepes, but I doubt I can come close. However, if you come by my house after thanksgiving, I always have a tettrazini, made with Ruth’s recipe, following her tradition of making one after the holiday.
Tulips, especially yellow ones, remind me of her and I think that is why I love the flowers so much.
Always take care of your teeth – Gram always shared this. So yes, even flossing reminds me of her.
She was a single mom before that phrase was ever coined – and she was a fabulous one. She raised my dad and aunt to be very successful in life who have also done the same with me and Melissa. Now that I am a Mom and a working Mom at that, when it gets hard to balance my life, I think of Ruth. Because she made it look effortless.
We Venturas, all 4 of us, are very dedicated as a family. And while we are all type A’s who have ups and downs, we are incredibly strong support for one another and there is not anything we would not do for each other. Ruth was all about her family and that is why we are so close. While others may say this Ruth lived it. From her side table in her apartment filled with family photos to cooking a huge spread when you were “popping” in for a minute, she devoted herself to all of us. I take this devotion to my own family with Craig and Lexie.
So Ruthie, thank you. Thank you for being a perfect grandmother and thank you for all your support and inspiration. There is only one way that I can ever give back a small portion of what you give me and that is why I named my daughter after you. It’s selfish of me really, I will always have a Ruth near me to keep inspiring me. I will pass along everything you gave me to Lexie so she will know why she is a Ruth, and why that is so special.
I love you gram.
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Your Gram would be very proud of you!
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