We Said Our Final Goodbyes

We said our final goodbyes to Grandma today. Her service was this morning.

Now it is time to learn to live life without her physically being in it.

Death is only an old door
Set in a garden wall
On gentle hinges it gives, at dusk
When the thrushes call.

Along the lintel are green leaves
Beyond the light lies still;
Very willing and weary feet
Go over that sill.

There is nothing to trouble any heart;
Nothing to hurt at all.
Death is only a quiet door.
In an old wall.

Nancy Byrd Turner

(My mom snapped the above photo on my grandmother's 90th birthday. Briana was pushing her in her wheelchair.)

It was a sad day, but there were two extremely hard parts for me. One was listening to the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" played at the funeral - it was my grandparents' favorite song. We played it when my grandfather passed and now my grandmother. The second was watching my mother say goodbye to her mother. They had a such a close and special relationship. Hard to watch my mom say goodbye...

My grandparents had "Happy Hour" around 4PM in the afternoon each and every day. My grandfather had a beer and my grandmother a glass of wine. They would toast to each other and say "Here's To You." Even after Grandpa passed, Grandma had her glass of wine and would utter those same words.

So today when we went back to my mother's house, the family had a toast to my grandmother. "Here's to you ~ Betty, Mom, Grandma."

Goodbye Grandma. Love you.

(((Regularly scheduled programming will be back in a day or two ~ I will start playing some post catch up.)))