Here's to you Gramma

Greetings all!!! First, I just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and blessed New Year!! I hope that wherever you are, you are surrounded by family and/or friends who help to keep the true meaning of the season alive!  Now, on to my post about Gramma.

Like Meghan, I have thought a lot about what I wanted to say in my post. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's posts and the memories that they have of this very special woman. And I have done the same thing. I have thought a lot about my memories of her and the time I spent with her and I can honestly say that I don't think I have one memory that stands out among the rest. Sure, there was the time that she slapped my hand at the table (I was 23 at the time) because I reached for a second cookie (breaking her one cookie after dinner rule), or the time I came up the stairs early in the morning to head to work and Gramma was sprawled on the floor of the T.V. room doing her morning stretches, or the time I came home from work and her dentures had broken and were being fixed and she still managed to give me a big smile to welcome me home.  But the thing that stands out among the rest is family.  The numerous gatherings at her house. The whiffle ball tournaments in her backyard. The crab apple tree and the raspberry bushes. The Little Caesars $5 pizzas to feed the masses, and the cooler of Shasta soda (grape was the best!).  And there she was, at the center of it all.

Gramma has always been at the center of every family gathering that I can remember. Graduations, weddings, family picnics, sporting events, you name it, Gramma was there---especially when it involved her family. You know, I never saw Gramma cry, but I distinctly remember at her 90th birthday party when she stood up to thank everyone, and she got choked up.  It was like she finally realized the amount of love that was being poured onto her by this amazing family. And it wasn't because she was blind to it, it was because she was so busy pouring her love out to all of us, that it took having us all under one roof to celebrate that milestone for her to look out and see just what she was the matriarch of.  This amazing, loving, supportive family who has been through a lot of ups and downs, but has always had someone to lean on in the face of it all.  I count my blessings everyday that I am in such a love-filled family.  Jake touched on it during the vigil, and I know it has been said time and time again through these posts, but I honestly did not realize that every family wasn't like this.  In my world, having people who truly loved and supported one another, who truly enjoyed being around each other, and who were truly interested in the happenings of each others' lives, that was common, that was normal.  But that unfortunately isn't common.  These core values that make a family what it is, just aren't valued as much anymore.

Gramma was the center.  How fitting that she was able to bring everyone (except 3 people I think) together earlier this month. And she will continue to be the center, because she lives in each one of us. I know that she and Grandpa are both looking down on all of us with smiles on their faces and tears of joy in their eyes because they feel that outpouring of love that they valued so much when they were here.

Thank you Gramma---for the smiles, the laughter, and the love.  But most of all, thank you for this family.

Blessings and love to you all,
Jen