You know those songs that can take you to a specific moment in time? There are so many that take me back right to when I first heard them. For me, polkas are a family staple. Weddings, learning to dance in the living room, but polkas on a Saturday morning always hold a special place in my heart.

Dad, Megan, and me dancing at a wedding.

My family was born and raised in Erie, PA- except for me, I was an Ohio baby. My earliest memories are in a car seat going to visit Grandma and Grandpa. One thing that was always there, besides lots and lots of amazing homemade food, was a radio in the corner of the porch playing the morning polkas.

Grandpa, Grandma and Me

My grandma died when I was 10 and hearing polkas come out of a radio on a Saturday morning puts me back to sitting in the porch, learning how to crochet while my grandma’s chair creaked patiently as I struggled to pick up a basic stitch. I knew my grandma only a short time, even shorter if you look at the time I actually can remember, but someone who can make a mark on your life that fast is someone special.

When I came to Findlay, I found myself jealous of those kids who had lived down the street from their grandparents their whole lives and had amazing relationships with them. I started telling my friends that they should treasure that relationship, because not everyone has grandparents.

I realized that we may go through our whole lives and never know the work from our parents’ parents’ grandparents that got us to be to the point we are today. I had what would now probably be considered an “old-fashioned” upbringing. All I know is that I was held accountable for my actions, and told that my work should reflect my best work for whatever needed to be done. I know probably only half of what my own parents sacrificed to raise my four older siblings and me, but what I do know is amazing.

Hard work and sacrifice do pay off in the long run– But this is an entry on polkas, and polkas are a celebration. So turn on a polka, dance around your room and celebrate life. When you’re done with that, call up your grandparents and ask them about your history- you may just stumble onto something awesome.

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