I have known for a long time how important people are in your life. My fondest memories go back to when I was a child.

Of course, the biggest influence on my life was my mother. Mother was a strong lady who raised me to be a strong woman. I never knew exactly what split my parents up, but it was my mother who was entrusted with my care.

She went to work every day to support me. My grandmother took over my daily care. I do not remember the early days, but I am sure grandma had her hands full with me as her daily companion. I am sure it was a relief to her when I started school. At least then she could get something done without me in the way.

Grandpa had off every Wednesday afternoon. That was grocery shopping day. Of course, I went along. Grandma and grandpa were careful shoppers. They had lived through the Depression. They knew how to count their pennies. They always looked for the bargains. I inherited that characteristic from them. They taught me well.

I have to hand it to my grandparents. They were buying a house and raising a family during the Great Depression. They not only made their house payments, they had money for food and clothing.

My mother was not only my support system, she was my role model. She showed me how it was done. My father left before I was two years old. We never heard from him from that time on. He contributed nothing to my support. As far as I know he did not even inquire about me.

That was hard in those days since most of my friends had two-parent families. I always felt like the odd man out. The word father means little to me because I technically did not have a father figure except for my grandfather. He proved to be an excellent role mode.

Grandpa and I were always close. If the ladies wanted to play a game, they had me ask grandpa because he would not refuse me. We often played pinochle and scrabble.

Grandma did all of the day-to-day things for me. She saw that I had enough to eat. She kept my clothes laundered. She taught me how to do so many things. There were times when I did not appreciate grandma’s rules, but I knew better than to complain. She filled my mother in on my behavior when she got home. Oh, by the way, we actually moved in with my grandparents to save money.

Since my daughter moved in with me when her children were small and they were doing renovations at their house, I understand the inconvenience that can bring. I only did it for a couple years, but my grandparents committed to a full-time relationship for the duration of my education.

I cannot say enough good things about my grandparents. They were instrumental in raising me. When people say to me, “You are not as old as I thought you would be,” it is because I learned from my grandparents. I have all of the fabulous memories of their life as well as what my mother taught me.

When I married, my husband became my influence. He was a dairy farmer who made his living milking cows. He was an excellent businessman, so he did well. I learned to be a helpmate on the farm although I never milked a cow. I figured if I ever learned to do that chore he might call and tell me he could not get home and I would have to do chores.

I did all of the cooking, laundry, cleaning and child care. For the first couple years we lived in a trailer on the farm. I could easily see what was going on. Once we moved up the road to Hickory Heights things were different. He did not always get home for meals. I had no idea what was going on at the farm. That changed some when the children began to help him with the haying and milking.

The children would call home to let me know how things were going and when I could expect the men for supper.

When the garden was ready, it was time to can. One of the handiest things I got when I got married was a cookbook about canning. I knew nothing about the process. I learned a little at a time in order to see that my family had food for the winter months. I did not mind canning. It was kind of fun to listen for those pops of the canning lids when they sealed.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would marry a farmer and live on a farm. It was a learning experience I assure you. In the end I knew more about the local farms than my husband because I became a reporter who went out doing features on farms.

Life threw me another curve ball when I married for the second time. Although I had known Don for years, that was it. I had his daughter in school and his grandson. I remember having to get Diedra out of bed to come pick up Jeremy. She worked nights so she slept during the day.

Now we just have to deal with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. What a blessing they are. We have twice as many people to visit with.

Once again, I say I never saw the marriage coming. We had been friends for years, but that was it. When we started going out for dinner, it was companionship. Neither of us enjoyed eating alone.

Now we are making changes in our holiday celebrations to accommodate our extended family. We wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. We will be counting our blessings — life has a habit of making changes and they are good.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.