It's been a long day. My grandmother passed away this morning. I've been expecting the call for three days. Doctors under-estimated the subborn streak that runs in the women of our family and predicted Grandma wouldn't last past Wednesday night. Had the ICU physicians known her better, they would have known she wasn't leaving until she was good and ready.
I guess she was ready.
Grandma lived for 89 years and did and saw some amazing things. She lived through the Depression. She was Rosie the Riveter during WWII, although when her boss found out she could do long division, he pulled her off the assembly line and gave her a desk job. She worked for years for the IRS. She traveled. She volunteered. And she was a great grandma.
For many years, all our family vacations were road trips to Missouri to visit Grandma. After eight hours in the car, my brothers and sister and I would be bouncing off the walls when we'd walk through her front door. We'd tear through the house; checking out what had changed - what was still there. Fake, plastic fruit in a basket upstairs? Check. Small toy piano? Check. The antique radio with broken buttons? Check. New pictures of our cousins? Check. Grandma always had cookies in the jar on the kitchen counter and pop in the downstairs refrigerator. She never forgot a birthday. And she was so proud of the lot of us, even though we didn't always deserve it.
In fact, I have only one jaded memory of Grandma. When I was in high school, I went down for the annual visit and she informed me that if I would only wear some tight jeans and make-up, I could probably get myself a boyfriend.
Still, she meant well.
I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to head to Missouri for the funeral. I'm looking forward to seeing my relatives, but I'm not looking foward to seeing Grandma's house and noticing the biggest change yet.
Cookies in the jar? Check. My step-grandfather waving on the front steps as I arrive? Check. Grandma...
Posted by Cathy at October 14, 2005 10:24 PMI never Knew Grandma, but i Know how great you are...and that comes from family. See you soon sista. love you
p.s. i am gonna light one up "fireworks" over the top of the world for GRANDMA!!
Cathy, I'm so sorry. May she rest in peace.
Posted by: aelfheld at October 15, 2005 07:07 AMThanks Ter! That really brought a smile to my face this morning.
Thank you, Aelfheld. I knew I could look forward to hearing from you on this post. It means a lot.
Posted by: Cathy at October 15, 2005 07:55 AMI'm so sorry to hear that, Cathy.
Having decades of great memories of ones grandparents is such a blessing, though. You and your family were soooo lucky.
All the best.
Posted by: mitch at October 17, 2005 12:40 PMSorry to hear about your loss. My deepest sympathies to you and your family.
Posted by: Kevin at October 18, 2005 12:08 AMI'm sorry to hear of your loss. It makes me wonder if our life stories will be as interesting as theirs are. Amazing how the world changed in that period of time.
Posted by: Sandy at October 18, 2005 10:04 AMSorry to hear of this...but Grandma would want you to keep charging!
Posted by: chris Muir at October 18, 2005 07:11 PM