I wanted to write a post about my grandmother, who we called "Gee", because of a few reasons. One, writing helps me get my emotions out and it has surely been an emotional week after her passing, and two, because I wanted to let others know, especially those that did not have the pleasure of meeting my grandmother, how truly special she was.
I was honored to be able to speak at Gee's memorial service this past week. I knew it was going to be hard but I felt it was something I needed to do. I wanted to share with you what I had written about her because I feel it describes who she was. So here it is:
"Recently, I have had several people share their condolences with me about my grandmother and some from people that did not know her. A few of them asked questions about her, trying to get a sense of who she was. It wasn’t until then that I realized, how could I possibly put into only a few words how wonderful “Gee” was? I couldn’t even begin to find the words to describe her contagious spirit or giving heart. I couldn’t seem to explain the love she had for her friends and family and all the wonderful accomplishments she had over the past 91 and a half years. Her life was unlike many others.
I remember just a couple months ago, sitting around the table after dinner at my parents, sharing in conversation, that Gee had recently gotten a new cell phone, a “smart phone” if you will. She had put off getting one but finally decided to do it. I remember the conversation of trying to teach her to “text” and all the new gadgets about her phone. I smiled because that was Gee. 91 years old, learning to text. She was a young soul. Driving around in her sports car – 2 door cars only for her, because the 4 door ones were just “too big and not sporty enough” as she once said. She kept up with family and friends via Facebook and emailed often. She would Skype with family that lived out of town and was somewhat computer savvy. She insisted on being called “Gee” because anything else would have made her feel “old”. So Gee it was to all the grandkids and “gee-Gee” to the great grandkids who have come along. Her spunk and life was infectious. You couldn’t help but smile being around her. She took great interest in the lives of others and always made you feel important. She cared, truly, about other people and always wished for the best, no matter the circumstance. She was highly involved in her church and community, always volunteering her time in the things she enjoyed doing. She was always on the go. Even her age didn’t stop her from doing what she loved. She rarely complained about things and even then, she turned it into something positive. She enjoyed her “wine thirty” with friends and family and even threw herself a huge 90th birthday celebration last year, because….why not? She was Gee. She had such a classy, catered, fun party at her home and it was a wonderful night of memories. I recently watched the video I had taken of everyone singing Happy Birthday to her that evening and there she sat on her white leather sofa, zebra striped floor beneath, beaming from ear to ear as she listened and watched each individual person singing to her. You could tell she was taking it all in. She was taking in all the love that surrounded her, knowing that making it to 90 was a huge accomplishment, worthy of a grand celebration and being able to be surrounded by so many who loved and adored her was a blessing. She didn’t take that moment, or any moment, for granted.
I know that everyone is this room can recall a special memory from their time with Gee. I don’t think she met a person whose life she left untouched. Whether you had only recently gotten to know her or you have known her for years, her character was evident. You left conversations with her feeling better, knowing that she cared. I am thankful to have gotten to spend 29 years of my life with her. Not every child is lucky enough to have grandparents and I can’t say enough about the impact they have. Gee passed away on grandparents day and I can only find it fitting that she was truly a special grandmother. From dance recitals and school plays, to proms and graduations….the welcoming of new family members and the reconnecting of old ones. She played a special part in so many lives and I hope we each carry those wonderful memories with us. I hope we can all carry her love and energy with us over the next several difficult months and years and know that our life has been changed for the better because of her! Here is to celebrating a life of an extraordinary woman! We love you Gee! "I don't think the reality of losing her has set in yet. I still find myself randomly crying, thinking of certain memories about her. I just kind of expected her to live forever. I hadn't had time to even process the idea of her being gone. I know it will take some time.
I was lucky enough to have her in my life for 29 years. I know not everyone has a grandparent, or several, that is a part of their life. Grandparents are so wonderful. The love they give is like no other. I remember about a month ago, I had taken Caroline over to her house to visit. It was right before school started and I had wanted to go by and catch up and let her see Caroline. We had a great conversation that afternoon and she just loved and supported me in so many ways. I can't tell you how supportive she has been in life, no matter what I did. She has loved and supported my family and I was lucky enough for her to be able to meet Caroline. She has been such a believer in Jeremy and I raising Caroline and her words and insight about being chosen to be her parents have really stuck with me. I recently looked back at several pictures on Facebook of Caroline, and sure enough, just about every single one of them has a comment from her. The last one she had commented on was Caroline wearing a pink pj shirt with snowflakes on it, about three weeks ago. It reads "What a sweet, sweet smile. Love the pjs's.' It brought tears to my eyes reading it. I will miss so much about her and I know these next several months will be hard for the family and I just know I need to be thankful for the time I did get with her and to cherish all the great memories.
Here are some pictures I wanted to share of her. Most of these are recent. Like I said above, she was a young soul. She refused to feel "old". These pictures show her young, loving, caring, spirit.
This picture was taken just a couple months ago. It is probably my most favorite picture of her! She always wanted to hold Caroline and would try to get her to say "Gee" as her first word.
This was taken a couple years ago at Smith Mountain Lake. We all got to visit with family from out of town!
I love these two. They are from my wedding day, which I am thankful she was able to be there for it! She was my last grandparent so having her there meant a lot! I love how happy she looks in the picture with my mom at our reception!
This picture isn't the greatest quality, unfortunately, but this was the first time Gee got to meet Caroline. It was January 8th, 4 days after we had been home from the hospital!
This picture is from Gee's 90th birthday celebration I had mentioned above. This is where we grew up having Christmas with the family in that basement. So many beautiful and wonderful memories there!
This is the video from her birthday. I only got part of the song but I just love how truly happy she looks. She looks as if she is just taking everything in. Brings tears to my eyes everytime I watch it!
I am so thankful to have known this wonderful lady. I could sit here and type all night about all the special things in my life that she has been apart of. I am taking things slow though as I still need some time to process all that has happened and cherish the good memories I have. I will miss her so much. I love you Gee!
