Heritage Project: The Glasgow Granny Leading by Example

Delving deeper into the childhood memories of our befriendees can open up a world of people we feel like we have always known.

One of our friends looks back on the childhood she spent with her granny, who she describes as ‘hard on the outside and soft on the inside’. When our befriendee was a wee girl, her elderly granny would direct her to take soup to her struggling neighbour - teaching by example to share with those who had nothing. These simple lessons led our befriendee throughout her life.

Another of granny’s neighbours had many children and granny often went to help the weans. Our young friend worried about them leaving their door open to let granny in, but her daddy responded, ‘Well, hen, they don’t have anything to steal.’ This frank perspective was eye opening and still resonates today.

Still, granny left all that behind every Friday when she came up to our young girl’s flat for her dinner, and every week when they went to the pictures together. It became a family tradition that allowed granny to be supported, much in the same way as she was determined to support others.

Human interactions reverberate through the ages and shape us all from childhood into the adults we become. In this way, the best values of those we love continue to be passed down through generations.