Maya Pringle’s grandmother’s house is shown in the process of being cleaned and put on the market. During July, Pringle and her family traveled to Eugene, OR, to help her grandmother move to Athens. “Throughout the two weeks of moving, my family had our ups and downs,” Pringle wrote. “Some days, we were tired both mentally and physically, but we persevered and did what needed to be done around the house.” Photo courtesy of Tonya Pringle
Webmaster Maya Pringle discusses the importance of caring for loved ones and learning about family history.
This summer, I spent about two weeks helping my maternal grandmother, who my brother and I call “G-ba,” pack up and prepare her house in Oregon to be put on the market. Some of G-ba’s friends passed away over recent years and she wanted to live in Athens to be closer to family.
I wasn’t thrilled to be packing and cleaning for two weeks, but I looked forward to being closer to G-ba and being able to talk with her more frequently. I knew most kids would want to get something out of helping their grandmother, like money or items, but I believed helping G-ba was the naturally fun thing to do.
As we were cleaning the house and going through G-ba’s belongings, I was able to learn more about my family’s past. G-ba kept a lot of unique items, such as my great-grandmother’s newspapers from the 1960s and several fine china teacups, which have beautiful, intricate designs.
A photo gallery shows Webmaster Maya Pringle’s family heirlooms, including cameos, fine china teacups, ceramic Red Wing crocks, a German stein, Japanese glass fishing floats and newspapers. Pringle learned the connections between the family heirlooms and her family, such as her great-grandmother used to wear gold jewelry, while G-ba wears silver jewelry. “G-ba, my mother and I also looked through my great-grandmother’s and G-ba’s stunning jewelry,” Pringle wrote. “I loved the beautiful jewels and cameos. G-ba even let me have a couple rings, bracelets and necklaces.” Photos by Maya Pringle
G-ba also has Japanese glass fishing floats from Harris Beach in Brookings, OR, a grandfather clock from Germany, antique ceramic Red Wing crocks used for farming by my great-grandparents and an old German bible used by my great-grandfather. Through these heirlooms, I realized my family history is more fascinating than I thought, and I was especially intrigued that my family roots extend throughout the world.
G-ba, my mother and I also looked through my great-grandmother’s and G-ba’s stunning jewelry. I loved the beautiful jewels and cameos. G-ba even let me have a couple rings, bracelets and necklaces.
Throughout the two weeks of moving, my family had our ups and downs. Some days, we were tired both mentally and physically, but we persevered and did what needed to be done around the house. The biggest motivation for me and my family was to be finished moving and have the satisfaction of knowing we helped G-ba complete such a large project.
I realized helping others isn’t about getting something out of it, but showing your loved ones how much you care about them and I was overjoyed to see the success of G-ba’s move.
