It’s her time

Memorial day morning:

Phone rings before I’m out of bed.  I look at the number.  It’s Mom.  One thought flashes through my mind.  Gramma!

As it turns out, yes, it is Gramma.  She is not doing so well.  Apparently she can’t swallow anymore, so if the caretakers at the nursing home can get some food down her throat, she doesn’t swallow it, and they end up having to suck it back out because it lodges in her throat.  This has apparently been going on for 2 months or so.  Over the weekend, they took her to the hospital and fed her intraveniously. (sp)  She perked up some, but Mom and Dad went in and told the hospital not to continue.  She wouldn’t want to live like that, and it is just delaying the inevitable.  They took her back to the home, and are just trying to keep her comfortable.  Mom said when they went through this with “her” father, Gramps, he lasted about a week. 

So I had to decide what I was going to do.  Do I leave now and go be with Mom, Dad, and (maybe) Gramma before she goes, or do I await the word?  I decided that I should just load up and go, as if I were going to do the remodel job in Minneapolis.  I have a couple things I really HAVE to do before going, though, so I am taking care of those things tomorrow, or…  today.  Then, hopefully I will have time to load up the car and be ready to leave, and I am planning on driving out on Wednesday morning.  I think it is about a 17 hour drive to Minneapolis, so I think I will try to make that all in one day.  That doesn’t seem like TOO much for me, but if it comes down to it and I get tired, I will just stop and get a hotel room.  Then, Thursday, if I make it to Minneapolis, I will have about a 9 – 10 hour drive to get to Mom and Dad’s house.  So, I will be at Mom and Dad’s house on Thursday night.

The good thing about this sad news is that my one cousin, and her half brother, whom we have always considered to be part of the family, but “really” isn’t, are also coming in on Thursday.  My other two cousins from Seattle, have mentioned that they will probably be taking the train in, but they want to be there, too, whether to be with Gramma, or to be at the funeral.  I sat down and thought about it, and figured out that the last time ALL of the grandchildren were together was in 1978, or 1979.  Most of them were at Grampa’s funeral, but I was in Saudi Arabia at that time, and couldn’t have made it home in time for the funeral if I had tried to come.  So it will be an amazing feat if we can all get together at the same time, even if it IS for such a sad occasion. 

Gramma has been going downhill for quite a while now, though, so it’s not like it is a real surprise to us.  On September 25th, she would have turned 98 years old.  I’m thinking God is thinking she has put in enough time on this Earth.  She has always been a very strong woman.  A farmwife all of her life, she was the pillar of our family.  Steadfast and strong, gracious and true.  She was the driver whenever I remember Gramma and Grampa going anywhere, for as long as I can recall.  Grampa wasn’t such a good driver, and gave up his keys voluntarily shortly after I graduated.  Grampa passed away in 1995, I think it was, and Gramma started losing her interest in this life shortly thereafter.  She didn’t have anyone to care for, so she started to fail. 

I rarely remember going to Gramma’s house when there wasn’t SOMETHING baking in the oven.  Homemade bread, buns, cookies, bars, cakes, you name it, she had that house smelling so wonderfully delicious all the time.  It’s a wonder we aren’t all 8 feet around! 

It’s kind of ironic, when Beth picks me up and we head “home”, I’ll be leaving my car in Minneapolis, and driving Gramma’s car, which Mom and Dad now own, but will always be known as Gramma’s car.  It’s a 1987 Chevrolet Caprice Classic, with all the bells and whistles that were available then.  I’ll miss my cd player, but I’ll love the electric seats and smooth ride of that wonderful Chevy.  And the powerful V8 engine?  Yeah, it will get me in trouble, if I let it.  I’ll try not to let it, though.  Gramma wouldn’t want her car getting me into trouble.

Gramma, I’ll miss you and love you as long as I live.  Tell Grampa, Grams and Gramps hi for me, and tell them I miss them,  very much, too.