My grandma passed away a couple of weeks ago. She was 97 years old. She lived a very full life. She had been bed-ridden for years and was ready to go so we were hoping she'd be released from her pain. Still, it's always hard when someone you love is no longer here.
Isn't she beautiful?
She was beautiful inside and out.
We drove to California for her funeral. It was really nice seeing so much family there. I hadn't seen a lot of my cousins in like 15 years. We stayed with Chris and Lisa two nights. We had fun having dinner and letting the kids swim at their place. I was a little stressed practicing my song for the funeral. I was asked just on Thursday by my aunt if I could play "Savior Redeemer of My Soul". I love that song and I really wanted to be able to do that so I said yes. Then I worked like crazy practicing a pretty tricky song for me in one day, basically, since we drove most of Friday. I ended up simplifying it a lot and that worked much better. I should have done that sooner. Anyway, my cousin's daughter sang and she did so well--she has such a beautiful voice.
The service was beautiful. I liked hearing some stories I hadn't heard before. Everyone that spoke said that they had never heard an unkind word from my grandma. I feel the same way. That was just the kind of person that she was.
One thing you have to know about my grandma is that she raised five daughters.
Five fairly dramatic daughters.
(My mom is the cute little baby)
According to my mom, that qualifies her for sainthood right there. :)
Those five daughters had 22 grandchildren. Here are most of us:
Sadly, Brad & Katie somehow missed both pictures but they were there :)
We had a good visiting at a luncheon, then we went back to my parents' house to swim and have some Dante's pizza. It was fun having that time with everyone.
This guy loved the pool:
I love watching the kids swim where I had so much fun swimming as a kid.
We went to church with my dad the next day and enjoyed spending Sunday with my parents. Then, we drove back the next day. It was a great weekend.
My grandma was such a wonderful person.
I love this picture of my grandma and grandpa around the time of their marriage:
Max & Maxine. Isn't that awesome? :)
Here's one from right before they left on their mission to Germany:
It's hard to even describe the sweetness and kindness of my grandma. I think you can get a glimpse of it from these pictures, though. She was very quiet. I don't have a lot of memories of talking to her but I do remember her telling me she loved me frequently and I clearly remember feeling that love and how special I was to her. She always wrote beautiful cards and letters to me. My mom got that trait/habit from her, too, and I hope to not fail as a daughter/granddaughter and to keep that going. I sure treasured all of those cards. Even though I was the second youngest of 22 grandchildren, I was lucky enough to grow up in the same city that my grandma lived so we had lots of opportunities to see each other and spend time together.
I remember playing at her house when I was young and she'd watch me for my mom. She lived right next to what was then a Toys R Us and I remember walking over there with her. She would let me wander all around the aisles looking at the toys. Then, she'd let me pick out a Pez dispenser on our way out. I loved that.
I remember going over to her house to make gingerbread houses at Christmastime with some of my cousins. I always loved that, even though I was young and probably couldn't contribute all that much. Those are happy memories for me.
I loved everything about her house. I loved the gigantic metal swing in the backyard. I loved hiding in the bushes. I loved playing in the bedrooms and with her actual sit-down, old fashioned industrial hair dryer like they have at salons (she did have five daughters). I loved playing with her Russian dolls. I don't remember ever feeling like she didn't want me to mess with her things, even though she had a lot of nice things.
I remember how well she'd feed me. I remember her giving me cookies and treats from her special drawer. I remember her always wanting me to eat more. I remember the delicious roast beef dinner she'd make on Sundays.
I remember one time when she was staying at our house to watch me as a teenager. My parents must have been on a trip. I think she made us a roast beef dinner. Then, when we were finished, she made up a plate of beef with gravy on it for our dog, Buddy. No measly scraps for him--she treated him like a king! :)
I remember her always working, serving, and helping--not resting very much. I remember how much she loved listening to me play the piano at their house and how much she encouraged me to keep playing.
She gave me this CTR ring when I turned 16 and I still wear it:
She taught by example how to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. This scripture says it better than I ever could: "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." (Matt. 23:11)
She was definitely one of the greatest among us. I hope I can somehow measure up to her example.
