Gramma

Just a quick update on the end of things with Gramma Veta: She died quietly and peacefully with little or no pain, surrounded by her family. The kids and I were on our way up to the room when she died -- apparently we missed her by about 45 seconds or so. I have had a bit of a hard time with that, I really would have liked to have been there. But there was a crowd of family around her all telling her how much they loved her, Mel holding her hand, and I can't think of many better things to be hearing or feeling as you leave here and head for heaven.

We will miss her plenty. She was a center of the family and her house is the only place other than my own home where I have ever felt the complete freedom to walk through the front door without knocking, day or night. I'm glad Ezra is old enough to hopefully remember her a bit, I wish the other kids could too. Addie may -- who knows?

The 'funeral' will consist of a family potluck, which is the best we can do to throw a party for her as she always said she wanted once she was gone. We will sit around and eat and think of her cheesecake and hear her voice in our minds telling the story about the hobos and the description of the icehouse and the one about her dropping the sack of flour off the balcony onto his head and how they never got spanked when she was a kid. Her phrases too will ring in our ears, how she was always 'just a decrepit old lady' and 'sore as a boil' and 'just plain lazy today.'

But gathered there together as a family, no one will ask me if we've got enough groceries at home.

And I won't hear any queries as to whether we've got money to make it through the month.

And I'll know that Gramma's gone.