Grandma Gloria's Celebration Of Life

Grandma Gloria's service was nice.

I think we had about 120 people show up, and that's pretty good for a lady who was close to 90 years old! She'd been a member of her church for over 50 years and had made many friends, young and old. Of course the music was wonderful ... we sang When The Saints Go Marching In, because that's what she had said that she wanted, but what I loved the most was when the soloist sang, What A Wonderful World.

We obsessed a bit over what kind of food to serve afterwards. I ended up taking a survey from the ladies at Curves, and the consensus was comfort food. The church didn't have a big kitchen to prepare things like ham and scalloped potatoes, but could provide cookies and bars with coffee and punch. We ended up bringing in ham and turkey on buns, with chicken cranberry pasta salad, potato salad, chips, and nuts. I think it all went over well, and the room we sat in felt like a cozy sunroom with wicker chairs and lace tablecloths.

There were still lots of cookies and bars left over, so we brought a huge tray over to the Sunrise staff who had cared for Grandma Gloria.

There were a few tears throughout the service, but much more laughter and good memories shared.

By the end of the day, we were tired. But it was a good day, and I think she would have approved.

Wordless Wednesday

October Birthday

We celebrated Mom's 83rd birthday yesterday, complete with taco salad and chocolate pie.

Dad wasn't able to be here, which was sad. And with Katie being away in Israel, we weren't able to celebrate her October birthday together with Mom's, which we usually do.

But, I think Grandma liked her birthday celebration. We had a glass of wine in front of the fire, and nibbled on peanuts and candy corn. Jake drove home to see her, and she loved that. She got some perfume and candy, and then Mark drove her over to visit Dad at the Care Center.

It might have been nice to actually get a photo of the birthday gal, but there were strict orders prohibiting it, and a daughter needs to respect her mom's wishes sometimes ...

Peace

Amidst all the unsettledness and fatigue of the year, I thought it might be helpful to focus on how beautiful the colors are this week.

We've been working on the details of Grandma Gloria's End of Life Service, and of course I've come down with a head cold. Which always makes everything so much more of a struggle.

But the season is really beautiful. And I've been praying for more peace in our lives. Maybe more attempts to focus on small, good moments will move us along to a better place. I hope so, anyway.

In the meantime, maybe we just coast.

Passing

Grandma Gloria passed away last night.

We knew her time was close, and had been spending more time with her, waiting. Diana made it back just in time to see her when her eyes were still open, and she was still giving her little kisses. I think she was waiting for Diana to arrive, and then was ready to move on after Diana left to go home.

And the staff at Sunrise loved her, we knew this to be true.

As we went one last time to be with her, they were all in her room with her, and they had tears in their eyes, too.

It was a peaceful passing.

And although we will miss her immensely, it was her time to go.