I have created a short list of things I'll remember about Grandma:
1. She loved God.
2. She loved her children.
3. She & Grandpa gave me, my brothers, and my sister (and probably all their other grandchildren) new flannel pyjamas every Christmas while we were little.
4. She always knit my sister and I bright red bonnet-style hats with 2" wide ties for under the chin - perfect for the Northern climate we grew up in!
5. Her phone seemed to ring off the hook - almost always one of her children calling to chat!
6. She loved watching Coronation Street and working on word puzzles.
7. She taught us how to use a micowave - she was the first to have one in our family. She gathered us up in her kitchen and showed us how to cook a hotdog - in its bun - wrapped in paper towelling. She was smiling at us as we stood transfixed, curious how a hot dog could be cooked without a campfire or a pan of water on the stove. I don't think any of us took our eyes off this new humming contraption that counted down the seconds until it emitted the loud beep as it reached "0 sec.". Hands down the best hot dog I had ever eaten!
8. She always seemed to have a supply of her homemade chocolate chip cookies and a big Tupperware jug of Kool-aid - our family remembers her having the 'green' Kool-aid most often. I gotta tell you that the combination of her delicious crisp chocolate chip cookies followed by a cup of lime Kool-aid was the BEST!
9. She always had cool "prizes" from the Shreddies cereal boxes in her kitchen window sill but we were only allowed to look at them because they were for my Uncle Paul (only 10 years older than me), so she couldn't let us have any... I remember in particular wanting to ask for a bobble-headed buzzard or some such thing... she also had some of the spoon/bowl hangers - remember those? Disney produced a lot for Cereal Premiums in the 80's - Pinnochio, Winnie-the-Pooh, etc. They were in a seated position and had extended hands/paws so you could hang them on the edge of your cereal bowl and they also had a slot on their base so you could slide them onto the handle of your spoon.
10. She knit a lot and sat in a comfy chair near a sunny window when she lived in their old farmhouse, on the table beside her was a lamp and the phone (for when her children called!)
11. She had soft skin that reminded me of whipped cream when I gave her hugs and a kiss - I loved that! The Lord willing, I hope I have 'whipped cream skin' when I get to be a Gramma!
12. She had hard working hands.
13. She could cook like nobody's business!! She & Grampa had 8 children - and she kept them all very well fed!! She made the most delicious "3-day Rolls"! Between my Mom and my Grandma it's little wonder I became a Foodie!! So many delicious recipes have surrounded me my whole life!
14. She laughed a lot. Her life was not always easy but when she laughed you couldn't help but laugh right along with her! My favourite memories of hearing Grandma's laughter are not based on what had caused Grandma to laugh but more in how she laughed when something really caught her fancy. She had this way of sitting on the front edge of her chair seat and just laughing until the tears rolled down her cheeks - a trait I'm so thankful my Dad inherited from her!! It's a joy to think on those times - and to see it live on in her oldest son!
15. She was a quiet woman but she is remembered by many for her friendliness and her kind, gentle smile. Also for her (and Grampa's) willingness to help others at whatever needed doing.
Two Bible verses come to mind as I finish this post and prepare to attend Grandma's funeral:
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"" (Revelation, chapter 14, verse 13)
and
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
(1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 13 through 18)
We will indeed comfort one another with these words and grow in the hope of one day being with loved ones who have gone on before!
May you all have a blessed day! Seek God. Do His will. So even if on earth we never meet, one day we will stand shoulder to shoulder, singing praises to our glorious Father in heaven!
♥ Cath-
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