As I pack up my family to head to my Grandpa's funeral, I feel completely unprepared. I have not even processed the death of my Grandma. 45 days ago, I did not know that Grandpa was sick with cancer. Similarly, Krissy had not set a wedding date. How could I lose both of my grandparent's AND plan AND host my daughter's wedding ALL in the last 45 days? It is craziness.
Pure craziness.
So, I need to back up a few events. I need to sit here for one brief moment and share some very important thoughts about my grandma.
My grandma was lots of things:
*tall
*hard working - the very hardest
*blunt - she spoke her mind, but without malice.
*an amazing cook - no one makes buns like my grandma did. No one.
*a dedicated friend
*tough - both physically and emotionally
*a wonderful gardener
*stylish - she was always updating her home and wardrobe
*sometimes hard to understand - she slurred words when she spoke. She also got names all mixed up and reverted to "whatcha-call-her" at times.
*her handwriting was even harder to understand than her spoken words
*the glue that held many relationships together - she was always speaking to each of her siblings and children, relaying news between them in order to keep relationships in tact.
As I think about all the time I had with my grandma, I realize that she attempted to teach me many things. She tried to teach me to make buns. . . unsuccessfully. She did teach me to make jelly. She tried to teach me directions (north, south, west, east) . . . totally unsuccessfully. She taught me to wash windows. . . fairly successfully. And the list could continue. . .
However, there are a few things that I learned from her that I really, really want to hang onto.
1. Take good care of yourself.
My grandma bought herself an outfit or two both summer and winter - always. No matter her weight or budget, she found a way to take care of herself. She was neither vain, self-centered, nor a spendthrift, she just knew that caring for yourself matters.
2. Never stop trying new things and learning new things.
On the very last day of her life I took my grandma shopping for groceries. As we slowly walked up and down the aisles she searched for ingredients for a new recipe that she wanted to try. She did not get stuck in a rut - but seized every opportunity to try new things. (In the kitchen anyway. She typically avoided travel like the plague. Ha!)
3. Hard work cures much.
My grandma lost her youngest son to cancer 13 years ago. She shared with me that going on after Robert died had been very, very difficult. But she chose to get up each morning, work hard all day, and sleep in exhaustion. Doing this day after day after day helped her heal and survive this many other hard times.
4. Keep in touch with family
Family relationships can be some of the hardest relationships. Though we share blood, it sometimes feels like we share little else. My grandma chose to make calls, send cards, share news, and connect, connect, connect. She held us all together. I know all about her brothers and their children, though I have never met many of their children, because my grandma was always telling me what they were up to. The rest of us counted on her for this. It will not come naturally, but somehow, someway, with great intentionality, we must pick up where she left off. . .
