We shared the same position in the family. We had the same number of older siblings, and we were both the youngest girls. We both had quiet personalities, though since she had the benefit of growing up with more brothers than I and had a large family of her own, she possibly knew a little better how to speak out when it was needed. She was a loved and cherished by all of the family, even with all of our differences in personality, experiences, and perceptions. Some have said they can see a resemblance between us. I think my mom contributed just enough to make a difference, but there are definitely some prominent features inherited from my dad's side.
The one thing she was remembered for was her laugh. She had a great sense of humor, and laughed a lot, which is amazing considering all she has had to experience throughout life. I know my aunts used to tells stories about how they used to talk while working together and getting her to laugh so hard that she would cry laugh.
Grandma knew a lot about the challenges of illness, having had to deal with some serious childhood illnesses of her own at a young age, and then having to deal with them as her children experienced them. My own dad had such an experience when an illness caused a ruptured appendix. My dad almost died from it. I'm sure it wasn't easy for her, but she knew beforehand from a dream that he was going to experience something serious, but she also had the faith that it would turn out fine. That's exactly what she was, a woman of faith.
This was particularly exemplified when her youngest boy got a serious illness at the age of 8, and she had the feeling that he was going to die. She accepted that part but prayed that he would die from something more quickly than this illness, because she could bear to watch him slowly suffer like that. He recovered from that illness and lived about two more years, when he got killed quickly when a truck rolled on top of him and pinned him to the ground. How both of my grandparents were amazing at how they handled this accident. The story goes that the family that loaned that truck were feeling incredibly burdened by guilt for what happened, and it took them quite a while to gain the courage to come to the family to offer their condolences. When my grandpa opened the door to them, he took them in and said to them, "We aren't blaming anyone with what happened." Knowing my grandma, she would have been right by his side in agreement. She had no bitterness over the event, only an increasing fondness of the memories of her deceased boy.
More challenges came and went as life moved on, and at the age of 68 (almost 69), she lost her husband to a heart condition he had been dealing with for about 14 or so years. Still, she managed to live on, occasionally asking in a half-joke why grandpa hadn't come to get her yet. She had her own health struggles as she aged, but she kept her same calm and peaceful demeanor. It was said by the aunts that when the home nurses would come to visit with her, they'd say they would leave feeling that they got more services than they gave her.
When the family would go visit, it was always customary for me to give her a goodbye hug, and to be honest, I really miss those. I'm so grateful to have made these kinds of memories with her.
Happy Birthday, Grandma!
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| My grandma and I at her birthday party. |
