Friday, February 10, 2006

My Granny has passed away

I just found out that my dear Granny passed away last night. She would have been 85 on March 2nd. I loved her very much, as did all who knew her. She will be missed. I don’t really have any more words right this minute.

Edit - 05-28-06: It was really sad for us all that Granny passed away, but that's life for you - it ends.

Granny had a long life, filled with family and friends, love and travel, game shows and puzzles. In the last couple of years, she said she was ready to go. It bothered her that her mind was still sharp as a tack, but her body was no longer able to keep up. She was practically blind, deaf and in a wheelchair, too weak to push herself where she wanted to go, even if she could have seen well enough to navigate, which she wasn't. Frankly, being in that state just plain pissed her off.

It was sad to see her that way whenever I visited. That being the case, it was something of a relief to finally have it over with, even though it was sad to say goodbye to the grand lady that did so much for me over the years.

We never told her about my cancer. We figured it would be too much stress for her to deal with, and that she'd worry constantly about it. She cried enough over my dad when he passed away a few months before I was diagnosed. I couldn't see any reason to add to it. I'd either live or die, but telling her that I have an incurable cancer couldn't have helped anything in any way, so we kept that little secret from her in order to spare her the burden.

The funeral was very nice, and Granny looked great - better than she did during the last few years. They made her up real nice. I was tempted to shoot one last photo of her that way, but figured the rest of the family and friends wouldn't understand. I probably should have done it anyway. Seeing her finally at peace is a good way to remember the last time I saw her, and it'd be nice now to have that as a reminder.

Instead, these are the last photos I got of my Granny, using my cell phone camera:

This is the last one of me and my Granny together:



And this is the last photo I ever took of Granny:



It was a bit preachy during one part, as funerals tend to be, and I opted to take a little walk during that part. I'm not a believer in life after death and all that jazz, and it seems rather silly to me that folks insist on turning things like this into an opportunity to proselytize about God and Jesus and Heaven and Sin and all that stuff. But I guess funerals are for the living that attend them, and most of the folks there believe that stuff, so... Whatever works for them, I suppose.

My cousin and her ex-husband got up and told stories about Granny, and that was the best part of it all. They really brought home all the great memories we all had of her, and how open she was to embrace and defend new ideas and toss old, outdated social norms out the window - and she had no problem being blunt about things. She influenced us all with her attitude, her generosity, and her love of life.

You can find out more about my Granny by going HERE.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

February is okay with me!

Well, here we are in the month of February, and not much has changed here with me. I’m still feeling terrific and getting along fine, so it’s all good.

Just thought I’d throw a quick update out here.