(no subject)
today was a beautiful day after so many rainy ones. we laid grandma to rest this morning, the sun was shining, that's a good sign i guess. it seems weird since her funeral was in January, but well, the logistics of frozen ground and snowfall in Syracuse area. Simple memorial service, she's now resting in the cemetery some 3 blocks away from where she and Grandpa spent most of their married life, as well as my Mom and Uncles childhood home. We lived next door too them until the second grade, and after a year in the frozen reaches of Massena, we moved back to Liverpool, but claimed their address so that we could still go to the same elementary, and nearby middle school, some 5 blocks the opposite direction from the cemetery. (that'd be creepy, walking through a cemetery to get to school as a kid each day lol) She watched us after school through middle school as mom and dad worked. she was always a small woman, quiet voice, and only rarely, less than once a year, would get upset or flustered. I remember the one time Ben and I were fighting and she came out of her bedroom and put the fear of god into both of us.
she was diagnosed with scleroderma over a decade ago if i remember right, and went through surgeries to help ease the symptoms of the condition over the years. but she never complained. at the end of last summer things took a turn for the worse, a slowly progressing dementia zipped on in, and she was bedridden for a while with back pain. with the caring help of my parents, uncle, her loving brothers and husband, and in-home hospice workers, she was able to live at home. December took a terrible toll on our entire family as her younger brother, my (great) uncle Bill passed away from complications due to surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. I had already taken time off to try to get home to see him as he was recovering from the surgery, but just before that weekend, he passed away. I don't know if Grandma really understood what happened, if she grasped the truth of his situation, her mind was in a happy place though.
Ben and I came back for Christmas and spent time with her and Grandpa at their house. She was out of bed and talking to us. I was thankful that she was having a good day, and that she was still with us. We came back to Albany, and spent the new years day (night) with some friends, Ben's cell rang, and it was my mother. Grandma passed away a few minutes after midnight, making sure not to spoil our new years day, at least that's what i tell my self.
Early winter holds many milestones for me and my family. December 6th, 2003 I was hit by a 1993 white Astro van, and on the 23rd i got out of rehab from the accident, less than 3 weeks after doctors were unsure if i would live, or be brain damaged. 2007 I finished my degree classes, save one independent research course, and December 23, 2009 my parents (officially) moved back into the rebuilt house after the old farmstead had burned down the spring before. But now there are two more milestones i don't look forward to remembering this upcoming year, December 15th and January 2nd.
Grandma, I know you are in heaven with Uncle Bill and the rest of your friends and family. I hope it is all that we on this ball of rock think that it is, because you deserve that, and so much more.
with a heavy heart and clouded eyes, i end this post with a final statement. you will never be forgotten by any that knew you, and you i hope to see you in heaven at those gates with open arms.
sir_loinage, knight in shining armor and a single rose
she was diagnosed with scleroderma over a decade ago if i remember right, and went through surgeries to help ease the symptoms of the condition over the years. but she never complained. at the end of last summer things took a turn for the worse, a slowly progressing dementia zipped on in, and she was bedridden for a while with back pain. with the caring help of my parents, uncle, her loving brothers and husband, and in-home hospice workers, she was able to live at home. December took a terrible toll on our entire family as her younger brother, my (great) uncle Bill passed away from complications due to surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. I had already taken time off to try to get home to see him as he was recovering from the surgery, but just before that weekend, he passed away. I don't know if Grandma really understood what happened, if she grasped the truth of his situation, her mind was in a happy place though.
Ben and I came back for Christmas and spent time with her and Grandpa at their house. She was out of bed and talking to us. I was thankful that she was having a good day, and that she was still with us. We came back to Albany, and spent the new years day (night) with some friends, Ben's cell rang, and it was my mother. Grandma passed away a few minutes after midnight, making sure not to spoil our new years day, at least that's what i tell my self.
Early winter holds many milestones for me and my family. December 6th, 2003 I was hit by a 1993 white Astro van, and on the 23rd i got out of rehab from the accident, less than 3 weeks after doctors were unsure if i would live, or be brain damaged. 2007 I finished my degree classes, save one independent research course, and December 23, 2009 my parents (officially) moved back into the rebuilt house after the old farmstead had burned down the spring before. But now there are two more milestones i don't look forward to remembering this upcoming year, December 15th and January 2nd.
Grandma, I know you are in heaven with Uncle Bill and the rest of your friends and family. I hope it is all that we on this ball of rock think that it is, because you deserve that, and so much more.
with a heavy heart and clouded eyes, i end this post with a final statement. you will never be forgotten by any that knew you, and you i hope to see you in heaven at those gates with open arms.
sir_loinage, knight in shining armor and a single rose