nixtress's Diaryland Diary

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Final words to my Grams.

Today was a good day.
I decided to end the weekend on a higher note and took the boys out. We went to Chuck E. Cheese and I let them eat bad pizza and play games until it got too crowded. Then we went to the dollar theater and saw The Chronicles of Narnia. Very good movie. Not too far from the book. Thumbs up in my book.
The boys liked it too. That's always a good thing, especially when you sit for nearly 2.5 hrs with them.
Ry's got a barky cough that's worrying me a bit but I don't think it's too much for our pediatrician to take care of, if we progress to that point. Right now, I'm giving him regular doses of cough syrup. Thankfully, I just had him in last week for his asthma checkup so his inhalers are full and new. That's reassuring.
***
My words at Grams' service follow.

When I sat to try to write what I wanted to say today, I had a whole list of things I wanted to mention about Grams. Some of them were obvious: she loved her family, her faith and her community. She gave her time, her energy and her devotion to things like her church organizations and the Literacy Council. Grams was dedicated to her children and her friends. Alot of the list was comprised of things my Grams taught me: Always Wear Clean Underwear, Never Leave the House Without Lipstick, There's a Right Way to Peel Potatoes, and There's No Such Thing As Too Much Tupperware. By example, she taught me that love is unconditional, that making mistakes doesn't make you a failure-they make you a stronger person if you learn from them. She taught me that nothing's more important than your family and that idle hands will never get you anywhere good. She taught me that sometimes, we have to believe in something bigger than ourselves and that's what has helped me this last week. So many of my fondest childhood memories contain my Grams. Summers at Long Lake, collecting those colored, rubber chips they used for bingo. Grape jelly made from the grape arbor in her backyard, spread on bread as a bedtime snack. The Christmas Nativity scene I helped Gramps set up yet again this year. New Year's Eve spent with all of my cousins, camped out on the floor with sleeping bags waiting for the ball to drop. All the frogs she had scattered around her home, that I loved and never understood.
As I got older, she nurtured my love of learning and reading. The more I've learned of her life, the more my respect for her has grown. She was strong and determined. She kept her family together, sometimes against the most difficult odds. She worked multiple job, multi-tasked before that was a household term and managed to do so with grace and success. We all know she had a heck of a sense of humor- the gag gifts to all of her sons-in-law at Christmas is a prime example. She loved to laugh and in return, made us laugh as well. We always knew she'd be there, for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and baby showers. She was just that kind of person. I've been blessed that last few years, to be able to be there for Grams. I'm a better person today because of her impact on my life and because, just by being who she was, she provided such an excellent role model.
Grams was an amazing soul. She had a spark that may have dimmed but won't ever be extinguished. It carries on in her children, her grandchildren, all the way down to her great, great grandchildren. Through us, she'll continue on.
***
I know she'll watch us and smile. I know she's better now. I know that life goes on and we're all better having had her in our lives.
Rest easy, Grams. I love you.
N.

9:34 p.m. - 2006-03-19

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