2/28/2013

My family lost a special lady.

Last week my husband's Grandmother and my kids Great-Grandmother passed away, almost a month after a massive stroke. I remember her when I first met her 14 years ago, she was an energetic, nice, and very welcoming woman.  My own memories of a Grandmother involve nursing homes and her death. So to meet this amazing Grandma was a treat. She treated me as if I was one of her own and not just someone who married into the family. I got to make her a cake for her 80th birthday and I was so honored to be asked to do it. I remember at a different party she was asked if she wanted cake and before she would say yes or no, she asked who made it. As soon as she heard I had, she said she definitely wanted some and wouldn't have eaten it if I hadn't made it. It is the little things like that that only a Grandma can say or do that make you feel special. My kids loved having a Great Grandma and knew that they were extremely lucky to be blessed to have her. I know she loved seeing the kids, she always had a smile on her face while she watched them play. I tried to keep them quiet, but she made sure to let me know that they weren't bothering her. So on Saturday as we said our final good-byes to a woman who touched all of us, I couldn't help but remember how great she was. My kids will miss her but they think of her as another person hanging out with my Mom up in Heaven watching over all of us.

2/09/2013

Thanks

I just wanted to thank everyone for your support during this difficult time. We are all coping as well as can be. Some days are good for me, some not so much. I told my kids last weekend what was happening. They were upset, but I felt they needed to be prepared. It was the first of two difficult conversations I will have about my dad to them.  I have been hanging out with my dad for a couple hours every night. Most of the time he watches TV while I crochet (my new hobby) or read. I know he just likes to have another person with him and doesn't need a running dialogue. He is in a rehab place right now, but will eventually be moved to my brother's home to be cared for until the end. We felt it was better for him to be surrounded by family than strangers in his last weeks or months. It is going to be hard for me though. He has been minutes from me for months now and soon he will be almost 1/2 hour away, which really isn't that far, but when you have four young kids, that hour traveling is a lot. If we could have him stay with us, I wouldn't hesitate. I am so used to being his care taker or keeper as I fondly refer to it, that it is going to be very hard for me to give up that control. Although I will get updates and have information about him, I will not know everything. However as I have said before our house is tiny and it is just not possible for him to stay here. He has come to terms with what will happen and although he has not given up on life just yet, he is accepting. To everyone who tells me to let them know if I need anything or if they can do anything, thanks. Although don't count on me calling or asking. I know, I know I should ask for help when it is needed, but I won't. That is just the person I am. However you can continue to pray for him and our family as we deal with this.

There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go. ~Author Unknown