…talking over a Coke with lots of ice and her smoking a cigarette
…watching her try to pull a joke but breaking down in giggles halfway through
…sitting on the deck, her in sunglasses rocking in her chair, discussing our day
…watching her nimble fingers knit and pearl her afternoons away
…coming together for family dinner on Sundays to just be together
…hearing her tales of spending childhood summers on the family farm in Kentucky
…receiving a card reminding me she loved me
…astonishing her with my ideas and tastes
…knowing she was just a call away and available to listen to whatever I wanted to say
…the pride she had for each of her four grandchildren no matter what we were doing with our lives
…her unbridled love for her family; her priority
I lost my grandmother on Friday. She was an integral part of her grandchildren’s lives and childhoods. She taught us how to read, how to cook, how to sew, how to decorate, how to listen, how to care, how to love sacrificially. She always had fun with us whether that be playing games, watching movies, or doing crafts with us. The intention with which she lived her life for her family astounds me. I never questioned that we were her whole world. I knew she would drop everything to help her family no matter the cost to her. I took that for granted while she was here and now, as I look back, all I see is her love for us. I pray that I live my life that way- loving freely and recklessly no matter the cost to my too-protected heart.
Good-bye, Grandma, I love you.
