Grancy

It has been a tough stretch for us as far as having to grieve the loss of people we love.  A few days after Jami's grandpa Charlie died, a good family friend Cheri died (I will probably blog about this later), and then two weeks to the day after Jami's grandpa passed away, my grandma "Grancy" also came to the end of her days here with us.  She was very special to us, and we will miss our visits to her, her straight forward talk, and the cards that she would send for holidays or just to keep us informed.  She had really been waiting for this day for quite some time.  It was very hard on her when her husband, my Gramps, died now about 15 years ago and her soul left her body on what would have been their 72nd wedding anniversary.  We are thankful that she got to meet each of our three kids, but are a little sad that they will have little or no real memories of her.  I talked to my dad and he shared that the end went as well as he could imagine.  He and two of his three brothers were able to be there with her and hold her hand as they shared stories and memories before she passed on into eternity.  Their other brother is already there now as they will spend time remembering their mom together.  Dad had high praise for the care at the hospice house where Grancy spent her waning hours.  I have always heard good things and have such respect for people who spend their lives caring for those who are imminently facing death.  They were great for the family and helped the last hours go by well.  Deaths like this usually hit us twice.  Once when we hear the news, and then again when we travel back to the States and our loved one isn't there waiting for us.  We love our Grancy and are so thankful for the love that she showed up.  We will miss her.

The one memory that may stick with our kids, at least Anneka, is getting to ride on Grancy's walker.  I think sometimes it was tough to tell who was happiest about this, Grancy or the girls :).