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Friday, April 11, 2008

My Grandmother

Today is my grandmother's funeral. Last night we had visitation, and so many people showed up to honor my grandmother. I was not surprised by this at all. Everyone who knew my grandmother loved her. So many people told me stories about the ugliest things they ever heard my grandmother say. Things like...I think that baby will turn out alright (when the baby wasn't very cute)...I think she could have done better than that (when picking a husband)...and there isn't anyone there but junkie people (talking about why we couldn't go to the arcade in town). I laughed, because my grandmother never said a bad thing about anyone. Even her "ugly" statements weren't really all that bad. She just loved on everyone and served everyone she met.

For several years before her death my grandmother suffered from Alzheimers. While she never did forget who we were she did have problems remembering what she told us. We heard many stories about when she was a little girl...things I had never heard before. It didn't matter that I had never heard them before, because since she was having trouble with her memory I got to hear them over and over anytime we were with her in recent years. I am thankful that my kids will all have memories of my grandmother as well. Granted it may just be the memories of the following poem her daddy taught her when she was a little girl since they got to hear it several times a day, but they will remember it with a smile on their faces.

A Little Bird

A little bird with feathers brown
sat singing in a tree.
It's song was very soft and low,
but sweet as it could be.
"Oh Father," little Gracie cried,
"Where can the birdie be?
If I could sing a song like that
I'd sit where folks could see."

7 comments:

Me. Here. Right now. said...

Lovely. Alzheimers gives people the gift of remembering things from long ago and robs them of their today. I think it might be kind of nice to reminisce on things like sitting on daddy's knee listening to his poem.

My grandmother did the same - she could recall with full clarity, every nuance of things that happened fifty years before but she called me by my mom's name, not knowing the difference. Like she was trapped in a time warp. I miss her still.

Mike S said...

Natalie, so sorry about your Grandmom. Both my adoptive parents succumbed to Alzheimers and my Dad provided me with a terrific glimpse into his youth, even though he'd not often know me.

Haven't been on much lately, so just about to play catch-up. Old Age stuff methinks:)

Anonymous said...

I do think, this is officially one of my favorite posts on your blog. I can't wait to hear more about your grandmother.

Prayers and warm thoughts as you head back to Turkey!

HeyJoe said...

ok, the official foursome is all present and accounted four. Sorry, FOR.

Allow me to add my best wishes to the stack. Get home safe to your family.

Kerri said...

this is so sweet.

Natalie said...

hahn - thanks so much for your constant presence as of late on my blog. your comments warm my heart. i know i will miss my grandmother for the rest of my life. she was quite a woman.

mike - thanks for reading. my grandmother never did get to the point where she didn't know us, and for that i am glad. she was amazing in every sense of the word.

witty - as always...thanks. i'll be in touch when i get back. you know i will.

heyjoe - thanks for the well wishes and being part of my foursome! i am looking forward to being home again!

Natalie said...

kerri - thanks! i miss hearing from you! of course i have done a terrible job at keeping in touch myself!