My grandmother passed away on Sunday, February 10, 2013 early in the morning. I was at my parent's house in Claremont, CA for an impromtu visit. My mom walked into my bedroom while I was changing Eliza's diaper and told me the news. It caught me off guard. Although my grandma had not been in the best health I did not see this coming. She moved to Broomfield, CO to live with my Aunt Linda about 7 years ago after my grandpa had passed away. She had been living in an assisted living facility for the past year or so near Linda.
Upon hearing of my grandma's passing I started thinking about her and her qualities and her legacy. It's interesting how each person's perspective and interactions are unique. There may be some overlap here and there, but for the most part my relationship with grandma was an individual experience between me and her.
The word that kept coming to my mind when thinking about grandma was "simple". Grandma was a simple person. I don't mean that with any disrespect. She wasn't simple because of any lack of ability or intelligence. She was simple because she was uncomplicated. There was nothing fancy about my grandma. She never went out of her way to be something she wasn't. She was who she was.
Grandma was simple in the way she did things. She simply woke up every morning while being married to my grandpa and got everyone ready, made breakfast for everyone, and then worked the rest of the day housekeeping. I never ever heard her complain once about taking care of anyone, or making a meal for anyone, or cleaning up after anyone. She simply did it.
Grandma didn't expect any fanfare or big "to do" about her. She simply wanted to sit next to you and pat your hand and listen to you talk. She loved being around people, just to be near others. She didn't often have the spot light on herself. She seemed more comfortable being a support to someone in the spot light. She liked watching near by and smiling.
Grandma often had a smile on her face. She smiled a lot because I think she was simply happy a lot of the time. She was not the type of person to wallow in self pity. I have never seen my grandma shed a tear in my life. She almost always looked on the bright side of things.
Grandma was not perfect, but she had many strong points. She was without guile. She never tried to deceive or treat people unfairly. She was simply sincere in all she did.
I love my grandma. I admire who she is and the legacy she left in my heart. Her influence will always be part of me. I am happy that I knew her and lived with her and have very fond memories of being with her when I was a child. I know families are forever. I am happy that grandma is with grandpa again. She missed him all the time. Grandma loved grandpa very deeply. I know because she told me so. They were part of each other and now they are whole again. I love that. It makes me very happy.
