Trina Gunzel is one of the best graduate students I have had - in 12 years of teaching in the education program at the University of Phoenix. She was unusually creative in class, so I was not surprised to see her next effort, a book about grandmothers.
She graduated with an MA and published her first book at the same time - Grandmas Are Gorgeous - available from Amazon as a paperback and as a Kindle ebook.
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| Her father took this photo of Trina and Jon at their first prom. |
In the olden days, children did not always have living grandmothers, because longevity is fairly recent in America. I only knew one of my four grandparents, and that was my paternal grandfather, who was as kindly and creative as anyone might expect. He gave us real silver dollars for Christmas and showed us how to spin them on a big table.
Trina has written and illustrated a wonderful book to help everyone appreciate grandmothers. My mother was so active in retirement that we had to book her months in advance, but she loved to come and see her grandchildren. Our son had endless hours with doting grandparents and relatives, and everyone liked to talk to him and show him something new.
Trina's book is an appreciation of grandmothers that will help all generations. Children take them for granted. One boy was looking for change at a restaurant to get some candy. I said, "I'll bet your grandparents over there will fix you up." He said matter of factly - "It's there job."
If you have a grandma like mine, you’d know why I think grandmas are gorgeous! Now of course she’s a beautiful lady, but my grandma has so much love, it makes her heart radiate from the inside out!
Trina Licavoli Gunzel (2014-04-28). Grandmas Are Gorgeous! (p. 4). AuthorHouse. Kindle Edition.
Grandparents are wonderful for children, because they realize how special the newest generation is. They have little need to discipline children, who are close to perfect and usually behaving their best. We have a relative named Helene who would take on 10 in her house if someone asked.
Children are also a great blessing for grandparents, because they are so expressive of their love. They say so many charming, clever, funny, and insightful things. One day, our grandson Alex said, "I am so happy, I feel like a rainbow." Then he asked, "Do you feel like a rainbow, Grampy?" I said, "I always do with you, Alex." He said, "Good."
My grandma is gorgeous because when I’m running with my cousins and fall and get an owie, she has the magic wet paper towel that always makes my knees feel better. She gives me hugs and wipes my tears away.
Trina Licavoli Gunzel (2014-04-28). Grandmas Are Gorgeous! (p. 8). AuthorHouse. Kindle Edition.
My mother knew that the key to tears was a distraction. Superman bandaids were a good cure, which meant we went through a box of them. Our son looked like he fell in a box of razor blades, with all the owies.
Grandparents know how fast time moves, so they value each moment. Parents and grandchildren have a slower experience and do not experience time moving so fast. But when the oldest gets married, the mother will look at the couple and think, "I could use some grandchildren."
My grandma is gorgeous because she takes time to fill the bird bath in her yard. She gets up early to water her fresh herb garden and carefully pulls the weeds out of the pumpkin patch.
Trina Licavoli Gunzel (2014-04-28). Grandmas Are Gorgeous! (p. 14). AuthorHouse. Kindle Edition.
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| Jon and Trina Gunzel live near Branson, Missouri. |
My mother read books to us, and our son read to his children. One of our favorite Team Jackson trips was to the bookstore, where the children came home with their favorite selections.
Children love personal stories, so this is one way to have a good family book where the personal details can be filled in.
When my mother moved in with us, people said, "Does she cook for you?" I said, "No, she is a restaurant grandma, not a cooking grandma." That was handy, because we had all kinds of dinners out with her, with easy conversation and no extra work to do.
Trina has an author's page on Facebook.