How I Miss Her

I had the greatest privilege in life, I got to care for my Grandma for 2 years of her life. It was filled with fun, stubbornness, and ultimately grief. I heard stories that were outrageous and stories that were true about my family that I never knew.

Grandma had more children then I can remember, but has 5 living children now. She has 3 boys and 2 girls left. Her husband left her years ago for the heavens above, but if you ask her she may say that he went the other way. She did not talk all that well about their relationship. She would state that it was a relationship that was just there because you didn't get a divorce.

Grandma was a smart ole girl. She went back to school at 65 and received her high school diploma. What an achievement for someone her age. Then to top it all off, she decided she wanted to fly a plane. She took flying lessons and soon knew how to fly a plane too. I bet she could have put the Red Baron to shame. She always talked about going back to school when she was with me. I encouraged her but, she couldn't decide what she wanted to be at 85.

Grandma probably read the whole library while she was here. She would read a book or two a day even though she was blind in one eye. Oh, and the crossword puzzles. She could do them with ease. I have tried to do those crosswords and I can't get past the first line. She was smart as a whip.

Grandma was stubborn as a mule, boy was she stubborn. I was taking her out for her birthday dinner and she got this stubborn attitude in her. She was being nasty and mean as a cat in water to me. I was trying to take her to dinner for her birthday and she was just being mean. I told her to stop or we were going home without dinner. She kept up, and we went home. No birthday dinner for Grandma.

I was told a story of Grandma a tornado, where Grandma wanted to save some new trash containers. The tornado was coming and Grandma was saving the trash containers, well the tornado picked up Grandma and the containers and redeposited them down elsewhere. Grandma got her containers and a broken hip. Told you she was stubborn,

The saddest day came when I woke up one morning and Grandma had gotten up before me, she had managed to dress herself, which was unusual. She had found this purple jacket with big buttons down the front. It was a jacket that she had worn for years and years. I had put it in the back of her closet and she had not worn it for awhile. She looked at me with her big blue eyes and said, " Look at this new Purple jacket I found and look it has buttons like I like." My heart sank, I knew then that something was wrong.

Later that week, I was gone to work for a couple hours and Grandma was alone. She had cooked a meal on my flat top stove. She had left it on and left a dish cloth on the stove. Luckily it was not in the same place or a fire would have ensued. I knew that Grandma could not be left alone again. I called her doctor to confirm the worse. I had to let Grandma go, I was sad beyond belief.

I felt the worse guilt for having to put her in an assisted living facility. I went to check it out, I checked out the staff. I made sure that she would get the proper care. I informed them that I would be there constantly to make sure she was taken care of. I was there everyday to check on her to make sure she got proper care. I would go get her on the weekends and bring her home or out to eat at her favorite place. Grandma was happy going out and happy there, she loved playing bingo, going bowling and talking to people her age.

Then Grandma got sick, she was very sick. Her stomach stop digesting food. She knew that she was soon going home. We took her home one last time, she got to she her puppies, her bossy's (cows) and had her hot wings and beer. It was the week before her 87th birthday. We told her the next night we coming to get her to take her to the demolition derby. Then on her birthday we were going to the zoo to see the meerkats. She was excited and happy!

The next day, we are getting ready to go to derby, when the phone rings. Its the home, I don't want to hear the news they have to tell me. Grandma laid down and went to sleep. Sleep that would be forever. Grandma was gone and in the Lord's land now.

I went to the zoo for the first time this year since Grandma left us. I took her Great Grandson, which she would have adored. I had a hard time stepping foot in the zoo. Then when we got to the meerkats I stood and cried for a good long time as I watched them, remembering Grandma. She loved her trips to the zoo. The one thing I did not miss was pushing her wheelchair up the hills at the zoo.

Grandma was my friend, my storyteller, my link to my family and my greatest lost. I hope that she is in heaven given the Lord and the Angels orders like she did everyone else.