RoslynReynolds.com

Goodbye, Grandma

Posted On Monday, May 4th, 2009

Under: Grieving

Grandma slipped peacefully from this life into the next as she slept last night.  When I saw the text on my phone this morning, “Call Don”, I knew what must have happened.

It has been a tender week. We heard Monday that she’d had a stroke and wasn’t expected to live many days. I immediately called each of my seven children, and the gathering began. They all wanted to talk to Grandma, to tell her how much she meant to them, and to thank her for the good she had brought into their life.

One daughter living in a nearby state caught a plane that afternoon; another drove hours with her husband to be there; the three living at home came all together; my daughter living on the East Coast, and too far along in her pregnancy to travel, got on her computer and we set up a web-cam session so she could visit with Grandma; and even my son serving a church mission in South America was able to call and talk to her.

That was the last time they were able to visit with her. As the week progressed, she wasn’t able to respond or communicate. She would lie quietly with her eyes closed, less and less a part of this world each day.

Each time I entered the home where she was being cared for, there was a son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter sitting on the couch next to the hospital bed that had been installed in the living room. Most often they were holding her hand or stroking her head, touching her and letting her know she was not alone.

She has been the ideal Grandma. I remember from the very first moment she heard I was expecting our first child, she started making baby quilts and receiving blankets. Whenever we would visit, we’d find her busy, either crocheting the intricate lacy edge on a blanket or bent over the quilt frames set up in her living room, stitch by stitch making something warm and wonderful to welcome our new arrival.

Once the babies began arriving, she began planning outings and events. Trips to the zoo were a favorite, with Grandma bringing homemade cookies to snack on as we herded the children from one exhibit to the next, always with a stroller in tow.

Picnics were another favorite of Grandma’s excursions. Up the canyon or in a park, Grandma always found places that children loved to explore. We’d take our picnic blanket and tablecloth, and she’d bring her big wicker picnic basket and spread a feast to tempt the children away from the swings and slides, if only for just a few minutes!

Christmas Eve dinner at Grandma’s was a tradition that we all loved. Complete with a visit from Santa with a huge bag of wrapped gifts, that is a memory full of warmth and light and happiness that we will forever cherish.

Museums, festivals, nature preserves; scenic drives and waterfalls, historical sites and community plays, Grandma found a way to share all of them with her grandchildren. And in sharing all of that, what she shared most, and what the children remember most, is her love.

They knew Grandma loved them. They loved going to Grandma’s. If ever there was a weekend with nothing planned at home, the common cry was, “Let’s go to Grandma’s!” Grandma had a toy box filled with treasures in her front closet, and Grandma had a cracker cupboard right at the children’s height. Grandma had a dog that loved to play fetch, and a big back yard with a huge old swing-set, and balls to throw and catch. And on the very best days, Grandma had all the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies, and the children would get to help her bake a batch and eat them with ice-cold milk from Grandma’s fridge.

Grandma. That word will always hold a special meaning to me because I watched her; and to Mom, it meant giving, and sacrifice, and concern, and, most of all, love.

I love you, Mom! I will miss you. And I will try hard to live the way you showed me to, so when it is my turn to leave this life, I can be with you once again.

Tags: Death of a loved one, Family

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