Good Memories - 8 months later

This is a favorite picture of Grandma and me - not especially because of the way we're posed - but because of how much of Grandma is in this picture - and I guess a little bit of our relationship, too.

I was very lucky to live with her from August 2008 - May 2009.  In those few months, I came to feel even closer to her than before (we spent many good summer vacations and holidays together while I was growing up).  I was sad to see her move out of her house and into assisted living in the spring of 2011, but I was pleased that the essence of Grandma was not changed by her surroundings.  In fact, her one room at the assisted living home (in the photo) felt like a miniature version of her house.  As you see in the photo, she's sitting in her wing-backed chair that was at least as old as I am but was still in the condition of a chair not much used (yet used often).  Under her chair is (I think) a jigsaw puzzle - she loved to put them together.  She had a room full of trinkets and homey goodies, in what I thought was very neat clutter - the sweet baskets and pillows - the shoe boxes full of photos with their lids set on top just so - and I just love her "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" container on the coffee table.  It was probably full of rubber bands.  I also love that on the coffee table is a photo of myself that she liked, as well as a photo of she with her husband, children, grandchildren, and her own mother that she had had as I long as I can remember.  There's also the photo of she and Grandpa taken on their wedding day in 1943 that you can barely see on the edge of the coffee table.  And just over my left shoulder is her book of Word Searches - she did several every night before she went to sleep.  I am sitting on a latch-hook rug that Grandpa made.  I can feel her hand on my shoulder now, with her soft touch.

In this picture, her ankles are swollen a bit from the congestive heart failure that tired her but that she did not complain about - she had such a sunny disposition.  In the picture, I am stopping to say goodbye to her on my way to the airport to go to Macau for the first time.  It was early morning, and though she was a night owl, she woke up early to see me off.  She had even recently bought a map of China so that she could see where Macau was.

The last time I saw her, I was soon to be leaving to return to Macau.  It was just after her 90th birthday dinner, and she was very tired.  She had tears in her eyes as we hugged and kissed goodbye.  I miss her so much, but I am thankful more for these precious memories.  Love you, Grandma!