People Who Are Gone
This morning I saw this quote. It isn't lost on me that all day yesterday I couldn't stop thinking about my Grandma Em. She has been gone from earth just over a month now, almost two if you are really counting. She has been gone as we all knew her for some time before that. I teared up several times yesterday thinking about her and the last visits I had with her. The last hospital stay was the visit that stands out in my mind the most. We went up to Michigan, my Dad and I, thinking we were preparing for her last days. Instead when we got up there, she took a turn for the better and came back to us as near as "normal" as we would ever see her again. Her sense of humor was right there, strong as anything, and it was refreshing.
When the nurse told her they needed to check her blood pressure she replied with,
"No thank you. I won't have that." as polite as could be. It hurt her when they inflated the cuff and she just didn't want them to poke and prod any more.
My Aunt, her care taker, often had a routine with her to try to keep her memories alive. She would ask her questions about her life and just let her talk. She would ask the names of her children and her grand children. She would ask her address and her favorite songs and Grandma would sing them. She would ask about her husband, my Grandpa Frank, who passed years before her and once Grandma replied, "Yes Frank. When he died I did too."
Minutes later we were talking about the corner store down the street where the kids used to grab a loaf of bread for their Moms or a snack for themselves when someone mentioned the warm nuts they used to buy there. Toward the end Grandma often didn't realize if she was being directly spoken to in a conversation or not, but she had a quick reply, "My nuts are fine thank you!!" was her response. The whole room erupted in laughter.
If there was one thing that she was amazing at, it was making people laugh. She was so quick witted and always had a funny comment. She had a gift with words and sarcasm and she was just plain enjoyable to be around. She had energy and everyone she spent time with could feel it and it was contagious and wonderful. She was non-judgmental and made everyone feel like they were welcome around her and part of her family.
At her funeral, when loved ones got up to talk about her and the things they would miss most, I realized I am more like her than I thought. When I saw this quote about being the things that you miss about a person who is gone, I realized that when I look in the mirror every day, I should see the parts of her that I keep with me always. Thank goodness I've got them and her with me forever.
Minutes later we were talking about the corner store down the street where the kids used to grab a loaf of bread for their Moms or a snack for themselves when someone mentioned the warm nuts they used to buy there. Toward the end Grandma often didn't realize if she was being directly spoken to in a conversation or not, but she had a quick reply, "My nuts are fine thank you!!" was her response. The whole room erupted in laughter.
If there was one thing that she was amazing at, it was making people laugh. She was so quick witted and always had a funny comment. She had a gift with words and sarcasm and she was just plain enjoyable to be around. She had energy and everyone she spent time with could feel it and it was contagious and wonderful. She was non-judgmental and made everyone feel like they were welcome around her and part of her family.
At her funeral, when loved ones got up to talk about her and the things they would miss most, I realized I am more like her than I thought. When I saw this quote about being the things that you miss about a person who is gone, I realized that when I look in the mirror every day, I should see the parts of her that I keep with me always. Thank goodness I've got them and her with me forever.
Comments
Post a Comment