Special Lady

Today would have been my grandmother's 98th birthday.  She has been gone 6 years.  I remember this because I was very pregnant with Logan when we came home for her funeral in September.  She was one of the most influential women in my life and I miss her terribly.

Although no one is every perfect she was the type of person I always aspired to be.  She never had a bad thing to say about people and she always believed the best in everyone.  She was kind, considerate, humble, and so very loving.

I have so many memories of simple everyday things we would do when I went to visit her during my summers and school breaks.  The time spent in her garden, hanging clothes out on the line, cooking, sewing, feeding the chickens, going for walks, and visiting the neighbors were so fun and meaningful.  My entire life she gave me gifts she spent so much time and energy on (and very little money).  She made clothes and blankets for my dolls,  popcorn balls and other homemade treats for my school birthday treats, aprons, cookies/pies/cakes for every special occasion and sometimes just because, slippers, hats, and mittens, quilts, and countless other things.  My most treasured was for my high school graduation she wrote out all of her recipes and gave me a box full of them.

My grandmother also gave so much of her time and prayers.  She wrote and called often and was always so happy to see you.  One of the most touching thing about my grandmother was that she was a crier.  So am I.  She cried because she was so happy to see you and cried when you left because she was sad to see you go.  She cried when she heard beautiful music and she could never read birthday cards without shedding a few tears.  Her tears were soft with no sound.  She cried during good movies and when she read great books.  She was the first person I told that I was pregnant with Emily when I was terrified and still trying to come to terms with the unexpected news.  Of course she cried and somehow her joy made me realize the joy too and for the first time think that everything was going to be fine.

I made my final trip to Kansas about six weeks before she passed.  She had not been well and she looked tired.  She was still so happy to see us and thanked us for coming to see her.  I very distinctly remember that I kissed her several times and hugged her tight before I left because I knew it could very well be the last time.  The pictures are from her last Christmas.

I am so very thankful that my kids are so close to both my mom and Bret's.  Their love and relationship means the world to me because I understand how much it means to my kids.