Saying goodbye

 I took the above pictures at my grandmother's house in Ohio when I visited about a month ago.  She was in the hospital, battling several ailments. When I left the hospital to go home, I told her I loved her and she was able to tell me she loved me back.  She was even able to make a crack about how I used a flat iron to straighten my hair. "Who would want straight hair?" said the 88 year old woman who got her hair permed about every week.

Today, my wonderful grandmother passed away. This was only about 5 months after her husband, my grandfather, passed away. I can't help but reflect on how much of them I feel in my life.  My grandfather was an entrepreneur who ran his own tool shop.  My grandmother was always doing some kind of project, whether it was building a dollhouse for one of her grandchildren, scrapbooking, sewing, baking, or redecorating. It's amazing that it took me so long  to realize where my desire to have my own crafty business came from, but there's no doubt that my grandparents had a strong influence on my goals for the future.

I'm so lucky to have had so many years with my grandparents.  Most people my age didn't get the opportunity to grow into adulthood with both grandparents.  It's hard to know that I'll never hear my grandmother whistling along to her oldies radio or see my grandfather reading the evening newspaper in his chair, but I'm so grateful for the time they were in my life.  They will still be a part of me everyday.