Grandma passed away this week in my childhood home of Springfield, Oregon. She was ninety-two. Just two days earlier, the three-year-old granddaughter of Rising Star's founder died from a brain tumor. I like to think that the two of them are skipping along together, down the white brick road. Now, they both can.
I didn't think that I'd find a picture of her online, but then stumbled across one of the both of us. From around seven years ago.
Grandma loved to bake, and she was quite a gourmand. For her, baking and cooking were art forms. I still remember when she spent most of the day creating what was to be a very special and original chocolate mousse desert. I couldn't understand why she was fashioning a moose out of chocolate, nor how it was possible to do so. But obviously, that would take all day!
Neither were the culinary arts Grandma's only creative talent. She painted gorgeous landscape oil paintings which hung in her farmhouse on the McKenzie River. Her Christmas gifts to me (and to my siblings and to my cousins) were usually handcrafted: a large doll entirely sewn by hand, bath towels with hand-stitched monograms, a queen-sized quilt that never saw the likes of a sewing machine. For years she sewed every dress I owned. I just assumed that every grandma could and did sew a dress per day and a quilt per week.
Grandma was an avid correspondent. I wrote her letters from Switzerland, from Rome, from Jerusalem, from Nashville (another foreign place), from Los Angeles. She always responded immediately and with great enthusiasm for my adventures. She too had loved to travel when she was younger, particularly to Europe. We talked about taking on the Middle East together. When she felt stronger.
Grandma was interested and eager until the end of her life. She loved to read about new topics and to meet new friends. She was the life of the party, and happiest when surrounded by scores of old and new acquaintances.
Thank you, Grandma, for taking interest in me and showing such loving support. Neither you nor I would have ever imagined that I'd be doing my best to pass it on to 193 children in southern India.
I didn't think that I'd find a picture of her online, but then stumbled across one of the both of us. From around seven years ago.
Grandma loved to bake, and she was quite a gourmand. For her, baking and cooking were art forms. I still remember when she spent most of the day creating what was to be a very special and original chocolate mousse desert. I couldn't understand why she was fashioning a moose out of chocolate, nor how it was possible to do so. But obviously, that would take all day!
Neither were the culinary arts Grandma's only creative talent. She painted gorgeous landscape oil paintings which hung in her farmhouse on the McKenzie River. Her Christmas gifts to me (and to my siblings and to my cousins) were usually handcrafted: a large doll entirely sewn by hand, bath towels with hand-stitched monograms, a queen-sized quilt that never saw the likes of a sewing machine. For years she sewed every dress I owned. I just assumed that every grandma could and did sew a dress per day and a quilt per week.
Grandma was an avid correspondent. I wrote her letters from Switzerland, from Rome, from Jerusalem, from Nashville (another foreign place), from Los Angeles. She always responded immediately and with great enthusiasm for my adventures. She too had loved to travel when she was younger, particularly to Europe. We talked about taking on the Middle East together. When she felt stronger.
Grandma was interested and eager until the end of her life. She loved to read about new topics and to meet new friends. She was the life of the party, and happiest when surrounded by scores of old and new acquaintances.
Thank you, Grandma, for taking interest in me and showing such loving support. Neither you nor I would have ever imagined that I'd be doing my best to pass it on to 193 children in southern India.
A moving tribute to your grandma. So sorry for her passing. I am sure that you miss her.
ReplyDeleteCondolences: it sounds like she was an amazing woman.
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