She Lived A Long Life

Saturday we had to go to the funeral for Mike's grandmother. She was 95, and passed in her sleep this past Tuesday morning. Although it was a sad occasion, it wasn't entirely unexpected, you know? I mean, she was 95.

Mike and I had a disagreement about whether we should make the boys go. Rebecca knew her pretty well, and wanted to go. That was fine. Tristan never really knew her, and she wasn't his grandmother to begin with since he has a different father than the other two children. I didn't think Timothy should go since he's young yet, and it was going to be a long day anyway. But, Mike wanted all the kids to go, and they did.

To my surprise, it actually went better than I had expected. Timothy behaved himself and actually learned a thing or two. Tristan helped to carry the casket out of the hearse and into the mausoleum, and I thought that was special.

When we first got to the funeral home before the guests started to arrive, we had the opportunity to say goodbye to grandma. Timothy, in his loud, I'm-making-a-point voice said, "Mom, that doesn't even look like her real skin." So, this brought about a discussion as to why her skin doesn't look real. It was a learning experience for him.

Seeing all the family we don't usually see because everyone is spread all over the country, I spent a better part of the morning explaining to Timothy who everyone was and how they were related to him. He'd go from person to person, reading their name tags, and then come back to me and ask how they were related. I think we had it all covered by the time the guests started to arrive.

All in all, it was a beautiful day for grandma's funeral. The weather cooperated, and grandma would have been happy. She would have been thrilled with the turnout, because she was very family oriented. It was just a shame she wasn't there to enjoy the family gathering. I'm sure she was there in spirit though, making her rounds, laughing and reminiscing with the rest of us.

It's All About the Grandmas Today

Earlier today, I wrote a post about Mike's maternal grandma passing away during the night last night. We found out tonight that she passed in her sleep just as I suspected.

On a brighter note, we just got back from Mike's paternal grandparents' house. Today, his grandmother turned 80! Imagine, if you will, being 80 years old. She's seen it all, done it all, and lived to tell about it. Life was hard when she was young, and she's worked hard her entire life, and still going strong.

It's an inspiration, I think, to know someone that age. They have so many stories to tell, and so many bits of wisdom to pass along.