Monday, April 26, 2010

A Piece of my Heart...a Memorial to Grandma





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This photo of Grandma Evelyn was taken at my Uncle Kenn'y wedding in 1982
Isn't she so beautiful and vibrant??

I turned 28 years old 4 days after my Grandma Evelyn passed away to be with our Father in Heaven.  In those 28 years I have never had to deal with a close relative passing away.  I remember when I was first told that she had passed, I was actually excited.  Excited that at that moment she was having a conversation with God, her family was probably waiting behind Him to give her a big hug.  It was a amazing feeling, and still is.  I think what grief is is the selfishness that a human being feels after having a loved one taken from them (it feels more like being ripped I think), the process of going on with living without someone that used to be there, learning how precious life and those around you are..these are all thoughts that I have had in the past couple of days.  I was dreading the funeral because that would be it, over, done, goodbye...but to my surprise it helped me to move on to the next step of grieving.  I am glad that I was able to see her beautiful face one more time, to tell her how much I love her, to tell her I will see her soon, to tell her the kids love her and Rylie will remember her, to finally let out all the tears that I had been holding back and to feel that is was ok to cry, ok to let myself feel that emptiness and the pain of having her gone. The service was beautiful and I know that she would have loved it.  Well as the title to this blog says, this is a memorial to my Grandma so here is goes...

Evelyn Viola Willson
You are...
~ a daugher
 ~a sister
 ~a wife
 ~a mother
 ~an aunt
 ~a grandmother
 ~a great grandmother

I Remember...
 ~You said things like "Go to grass"
 ~You drove like a crazy woman
 ~You were the stubbornest woman I ever met
 ~You are beautiful
 ~ You always got perms from your friends
 ~You loved animals
 ~Your dog Sparky knocked me down when I was little and to this day I am scared of dogs
 ~Your cat was named Tabby
 ~You looked at your program (General Hospital) every day faithfully at 1:00 and if you couldn't look at it,  
    you recorded it 
~When you got your new car, the eagle, you raced into our driveway, that was before I was in kindergarten 
   and you only had 3 cars after that
~You had a stoke and recovered almost 100%, I think from pure stubbornness, you wouldn't use a
   wheelchair or a walker!
~You used a wood stove for your only heat until it got to be below 0 and then you used the little gas heater in
   the family room
~It was only in this last winter when you would call Mitch or I to get your wood, and that was ONLY if there
  was snow on the ground, if it was 10 below, you could do it yourself, thank you!
~Your huge garden
~When Great Grandma Elsie passed away you let me pick out a piece of her jewelry
~You put oatmeal or crackers in hamburger so it would "go further"
~You never missed a birthday or an event that Mom or I invited you to
~The scary bear head in Uncle Kenny's room that scared me to death
~Kathy and I used to love to wear your night gowns, they were really soft and pretty
~The story you told me about when you put Uncle Larry on the seat next to you because you didn't have car
  seats and he rolled right off on to the floor one time when I was buckling in the kids car seats
~You loved to go on picnics
~You ALWAYS had a puzzle going once you got a little older and couldn't do very much
~The smell of your house
~Watching fireworks last July in your yard
~The times I got to take you to Billings or Livingston for doctor appointments, you never wanted to ask
   because you thought it was an inconvience for me...it never was, I treasure those times
~ The way you looked when you held my babies after I brought them home from the hospital
~You wrote in your diary for years, I am so glad that we have that piece of you left forever
~You never threw anything away
~You wrote down every birthday and anniversary
~You never ate potatoes and bread at the same meal, I thought that it was for some medical reason
   and when I asked you it was because you gained so much weight when you were pregnant with Uncle    
   Larry and the doctor told you not to eat them together
~"Theres always room for jello"...i love jello to this day!
~ Fish sticks
~You had piles of books from the library, you gave them to me and when I was done and I gave them back
   to  you
~You wore lipstick everywhere and a while back you pulled over at four winds, Mitch and I were behind
   you and we stopped to see what was wrong and you were putting on your lipstick, you couldn't do it
   anymore while you were driving!
~Your beautiful long nails that you had painted all the time
~Your clip on earrings, Kathy and I wore them all the time
~How you looked in you Red Hat stuff
~You were always playing cards...sometimes I joked that you had more of a night life than me and you were
   in your 80's!
~The polar bear puzzle, you were about to throw it in the stove because you hadn't been able to get a piece
   in for days and Mitch walked in and put in 3 pieces just like that!
~You wanted to WIN...you were a bit of a poor sport...I think that is where I get it :)
~Playing old maid and go fish when I was little
~Fruit punch
~There are so many more memories, this list could go on and on...

I Will Treasure...
~All the birthdays
~All the trips to Billings and Livingston
~Knowing that the kids go to know you and spend time with you
~Being there with you during your last days
~Every picture that I have of you
~All the memories of you...Forever I will help Rylie and Wyatt get to know their Great Grandma Evelyn
  with stories, pictures, and one day they will read all about your life through your eyes
~Your words
~The time when you broke your ankle and I was pregnant with Rylie, you were staying with us and since
   I wasn't working we just hung out everyday...when 1:00 came, you looked at your program and I took
   my nap!
~How beautiful you were when I said goodbye to you for the last time
~I will treasure you Grandma, I love you...

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This was taken at our Easter celebration in 2010, just 8 days before Grandma
had her stroke.  Our time with our loved ones pass so quickly,
if I learned anything it is to cherish everyday, every person, every sunset, sunrise,everything. 
Live everyday like it is your last
Love like you have never loved before
Dance like no one is watching
Laugh
Play with your kids in mud...you can always shower!
Give hugs, give kisses and most importantly,
If you love someone tell them now, today, as soon as you see them
I love you Grandma and I will never forget you!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Awwww...Easter

What does Easter mean to me??? Well when I as growing up, it was another holiday that we could run around and find the baskets that the Easter Bunny left for us kids somewhere around the house.  It was Easter egg hunts and big chocolate bunnies and it meant that spring was here, or close.  Sometimes it meant my birthday or that my birthday was coming up soon.  When I became an adult it meant another dinner, another day, another holiday that I really had no idea why it was a holiday.  Since Rylie was born, Mitch and I decided to start attending church and raise our kids in a way different then we had been raised (not that we were raised badly :) ).  We wanted to understand what the Bible was and what is was to be babtized and learn the stories of the Bible.  Most importantly we wanted to have Jesus Christ in our lives and teach our kids to lead a Christian life.  Anyways, I am getting a bit off track here, so let me get back on!  It was just recently that I along with some ladies in my bible study watched the "Passion of the Christ" and started understanding a bit more about the sacrifiece and the significance of what Easter really was.  I went to an Easter service at our church on Easter and on the stage was three crosses and the effect that looking at them had on me was pretty amazing.  Knowing what Easter was all about and why we celebrate it and seeing those crosses up there...well I was moved...so to answer the question that I asked in the beginning...what does Easter mean to me??  I means that Jesus is alive, he lives in my heart, it's a day to celebrate that He is alive, it is a day for being together, hunting eggs and baskets that the Easter bunny left, its a day for families, its a celebration of the reserection of Jesus Christ...that is what Easter is to me...Here are some photos that I took on Easter of my family and of the infamous Easter egg hunt!

Here is my baby girl...she really likes to find the
eggs but once she realized that there was candy
inside them, she lost precious egg hunting time by eating all the candy
before she moved on the the next egg!
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Wyatt had a ball just being outside, he is just an outside
kinda guy!
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The infamous Rylie smile, she is sure that
her eyes are open wide!
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My angel...pure and simple

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This is my baby sister...not so much a baby anymore I guess!
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These are the beautiful bulbs that my mom gave me...
now if I can just keep them alive!
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My boys...Wyatt found more eggs then Rylie thanks
to his helper!
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This is my beautiful Gramma Evelyn...she is 84, I think and
still going strong...she has beat a stroke and breast
cancer...I pray that I can be like her someday
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I hope that everyone had a great Easter!!

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