Growing up in a large family, we always gathered for holidays and special events, and my maternal grandparents were usually the life of the party. I miss them dearly as they are both gone now but the memories I have of them still make me smile today.
When I was a teenager, they once came for a visit. A friend of my mother’s had invited us all to dinner and as usual, the conversations were animated and filled with laughter.
See, my mom grew up in this little southern town in France, famous for its old mill. And my grandfather, eager to make conversation, just volunteered this one bit of information, “Oh yes, the mill! It used to be a hat factory!”
I will never forget what ensued. My grandmother looked at him, paused for a minute and just burst into laughter. “What are you talking about? A hat factory? This is the first time I’ve heard of this!”, she responded, still laughing her heart out. And pretty soon, the whole room was laughing so hard that tears were shed. Even my grandfather, who maintained he was right, was now giggling.
To this day, we still don’t know if grandpa was right about the old mill. But one thing is for sure, he gave us a good laugh that evening! A memory I will treasure forever….