goodbye, grandma

My maternal grandma died Friday evening. I am crushed, to say the least. She was an amazing amazing woman. My grandpa died when I was 12... also an incredible human being. Together Patricia and Louis built quite the legacy. 12 kids, 27 grand kids, 5 great-grand kids, and some on the way. All together the count of people who would not be on this earth if it weren't for my grandma and grandpa is 47. And this number is constantly growing. It's awe-inspiring.

What's more impressive is the fact that all of these people are GOOD, loving people. This has to be because my grandma was one of the most patient, saintly, loving people to ever walk this earth. She was also very smart. I had the privilege to live with Grandma for about 6 months when I was 19-20. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity to get to know her as a human being and a friend.

It was suggested that I do a post to honor her... write about "Grandma's cooking." The truth is, my grandma was not a typical home-cooking kind of grandma. She cooked, of course, as she had to feed 12 kids on a budget. But growing up, the foods I remember her making were seven layer salad and jello cheesecake for family parties. When I lived with her, we had crock pot pot roast flavored with dried onion soup 2 days the very first week!

Thinking back, the food from Grandma and grandpa's house that makes me most nostalgic is cheese sandwiches and pears. I looooved pears when I was a kid, and grandma always made sure to have some on hand when I was visiting. The cheese sandwiches were simply Colby cheese on white bread with yellow mustard. Why was this so special? Because at my house we always only had American cheese, which I despised, and wheat bread. And no, this was not grilled cheese. I was a weird kid... no melted cheese.

So, yeah... that's it. Simple foods that are part of some really really happy memories. I am so thankful that there are so very many such memories, and so much love, to get my family and me through this great loss. Goodbye, Grandma. I love you!