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Grandma's Stardust

Written And Illustrated By Susan Pierce Grossman

Full color, paperback bound, 70 pages.

I wrote most of Grandma’s Stardust on an airplane or in an airport. My “One and Only” lives in Florida and I live in New York.  So back and forth I go to visit baby Meredith.  Many of my friends also travel cross country to visit their grands.  We are trying to keep family together, make memories, and hug our most precious and beautiful grandchildren.  

Before I was promoted to “Grandma”, a friend asked me if I were going to make a baby’s first-year book.  “What’s that about?” I asked.   “Well, you collect all the photos from the baby’s first year and make a memory book,” she explained.  That was the beginning of this incredible journey with my Meri.  I call her Meri...because she makes me merry!

I imagined a storybook full of fantasy — a small, colorful playground of fun experiences to entertain my miracle, Meri.  Fifty-five photos, yards of felt, ten bottles of fabric glue, many teddy bears and muppets, and one year later, I can add that it was an amazing bonding experience with lots of quality time sharing laughs, baby talk, hugs, and belly zerbits.  Meri’s first words were Dada, Mama, Jack (her dog), and Gama.  I came after the dog, but I don’t care.  I was still in the line up.  

My stage for the photo shoots was the guest room bed in Florida.  I designed and made the sets at home in New York then shipped them to Florida.  Some sets took two or three months to find just what I wanted.  I bought a sewing machine to make costumes or modify outfits I found on Amazon.  I tried to limit props because I wanted to minimize set-up time.  I used only natural light from one window between 11 am and 2 pm and also had an overhead light.  When it rained, the lighting was difficult.  Only my husband, Howard (Grandpa) and Amazon knew my plans and story ideas.  My daughter, Nadene, and son-in-law, Trevor, didn’t want to know what I was up to because they enjoyed being surprised by my photos.  It is very hard to surprise your adult children, so this was a wonderful bonus.  Grandma came to Florida to make her magic!  Meri came to Long Island for her first birthday so a few photos were taken at her “Butterfly Garden Party”.  Yes, Grandma and Grandpa made her a lemonade stand.

When Meri was laughing and smiling, she was also bouncing and waving her arms.  This resulted in many blurry photos.  My compromise for the book was to select the least blurry photos or the focused ones with sweet expressions full of wonder and trust.  She posed herself in every photo or sometimes just fell asleep while I prepared the set design.  I usually got the best photo within two minutes of shooting.  After her morning nap, Meri was always excited to see what was set up on the bed. She crawled to the middle of the bed, right where I wanted her to sit.  The fancier the dress, the more excited she was.   Each set was a new mini-playground for her enjoyment.

The year has flown by.  That’s what time does.  I have reflected on my own memories of my grandmothers, recalled my most loved fairy tales, noted anniversaries of classic stories, and researched a legacy of wisdom on how to live a full life, with no regrets.  The title reflects the magic I feel being a grandmother.  I watched videos of Elizabeth Gilbert’s advice to new authors where she suggested to do research, do more research, and then more research.  Then, to finally put the research aside and let the words flow.  I did.  I wrote from my heart and here is my story.

I loved my grandmothers.  Their presence seemed to bring out the best in everyone.  “Grandma-time” meant good food, good family time, good stories, good memories.  That’s the legacy I want to leave with my “One and Only” Meredith, my Meri Mouse.

- Susan Pierce Grossman

All Illustrations and Images Copyright  © Susan Pierce Grossman 2016