My Grandma

I have never seen my Grandma cry. I have been with her thru the death of 2 Grandsons, her husband of over 50 years, her best friend and one of her sons. She is 94, soon to be 95. In recent years we have become very close. She is one of the strongest women I know. She tells you what is on her mind, my daughter says she is one of the only people that could get away with it. She is a proud woman, and has always excelled in whatever she did. The picture on the right is her Great Grandmother, I can see the resemblance, the strength and the pride.

I loved to drive up to Idaho to see her and sometimes we would sneak out to go shopping. We would have so much fun and giggle like schoolgirls. We loved to just be together. I took her out to eat one year for her birthday and we teased the waiter til I thought he was going to quit, but he was a good sport and even brought her out fried ice cream which she had never tried, she loved it. We were both so full we were going to split but she had to eat the whole thing, I remember the cute way she licked her lips when she was done. I think she really just loved the attention and the moment, I know I did. She is no longer able to get around and so my heart is so grateful that I have such good memories of being with her, listening to her stories and feeling loved and joy.

I will always hold my Grandma close even when she leaves this earthly existence. In G.G. Vandagriff's book, "Voices in your blood", she says that not only are we influenced behaviorally and genetically by our forebears, but we also, in a very real way, carry pieces of our ancestors within in us microscopically. Grandma is woven into my life, like the tightly woven fibers in the yarn her crooked fingers crochet into beautiful afghans.

I love my Grandma and I love her for all the things she has taught me, by good example and bad. Hey Grandma, guess what, you are a fragile human after all and I love you even more because of your imperfections!