Grandma Ruth's Passing

Today Grandma Ruth was buried.  She never fully recovered from an illness that put her in the hospital in March and last week slipped into a comma and passed away.  Dr J flew out for the funeral.  The rest of us stayed here.  I have some grouchy feelings about that.  My mom says they are mainly related to disappointment about not being able to go home and about missing my grandfathers funeral last year.  My husband says I'm being petty.  Personally I've come to a greater understanding of the fact that men and woman are very different creatures and can never fully come to understand each other ie it's probably going to take me a few more weeks to not be ticked at him.  Regardless of that and what is certainly my most fallible nature I'm very sad at her passing.  She will be greatly missed by her friends and family, especially her children and grandchildren.  She accepted me into the family without reservation and with arms full of love.  She always has a little piece of hard candy for the kids, a hug, a smile, and a kind word.  She lived just ten or so houses from my mother and when I was staying there I would often walk the kids down the street to see her.  Regardless of the time or the fact that we were never planned on she'd invite us in.  She'd turn off the game (which no matter the season was always on) and chat.  She'd bring out some toys for the kids and insist on taking a few pictures.  She'd give me the scoop on what was going on with all the other grand-kids and build Legos with the kids.  My kids always got a kick out of seeing her at church on Sunday.  At Christmas she always had a gift for all of us, every child, every grandchild, and every great grandchild.  If we didn't come home for the holidays she'd send an overflowing box.  It used to stress me out a little bit.  This is not a small family and the idea of her running around and hauling all these gifts home seemed a little excessive, but she wanted everyone to know she was thinking about them, everyone to know they'd made her list.  She loved the holidays, Santa, camping, being with her family, and sports.  She will leave a hole in the family that will never fill.  The only silver lining, she will once again be reunited with Grandpa Tom who died just a little more than a year ago.  I was sitting with her last summer talking about Tom.  She missed him so much.  I was telling her how when Dr. J works nights I sit up writing e-mails and watching Hulu.  She told me she'd spend her nights looking at pictures, keeping tabs on the grand-kids on Facebook, writing letters, and doing geneology.  She couldn't sleep without him.  She loved that man so much.  I guess that's the irony of life.  We may not make a lick of sense to each other, we might sometimes drive each other nuts, but a life together is a life fulfilled.  I hope their reunion is sweet and am glad she is freed from the pain of her earthly body.  May those of us left to mourn her passing be buoyed up by our good memories and the love she had for us.