Grandma Bea

Saying goodbye to Grandma Bea was not easy. When she passed away on Thursday I was full of so many emotions. I was happy for grandma, she finally got to be with her sweetheart Grandpa Cecil again, but at the same time you never want anyone to go, and saying good bye is just too heart wrenching. My WONDERFUL grandmother is gone and I will miss her every day. I will also appreciate all the time spent with her and cherish those memories forever.

My Grandma rocked me to sleep until I was about 8 or 9 years old. Every time I'd go to stay at her house, we would get all ready for bed and then she would say "Come here and let grandma rock you to sleep." She was so loving that even when I was getting a little older, I couldn't resist letting grandma rock her youngest grandchild to sleep. I loved the attention and the warm loving arms of grandma Bea.

Grandma always made sure to have orange juice and cereal in the house when we visited, and if at all possible she made sure we got some Maria's salsa. I'm not kidding when i say my sisters and i could drink that stuff!

Grandma's house was always welcoming, she was overjoyed when you walked in the door of her house "MY lans, look who it is!" Followed by a big hug and a kiss right on the lips. Her house was filled with pigs and love. She had a horrible pull out bed that Kim and I hated sleeping on, we would both sink to the middle and end up pushing and kicking each other all night. Grandma always slept with country music playing quietly on her radio, it drove a lot of people crazy, but i found it soothing. Dirty Dancing is my favorite movie because of grandma, and it always will be. When our visits ended, she walked us all the way out to the car and waved until we were out of sight, I even saw her cry a few times as we left. You just always knew without a doubt that Grandma Bea loved you.

I got a few keepsakes from grandma's house, some pigs, a salt and pepper shaker, and a goose down feather pillow that I always made sure to sleep on when I visited. Tonight I picked up the pillow and hugged it tightly, it still smelled like Grandma's house. It's amazing how just a smell can bring back so many warm, loving, happy memories, and while these memories are wonderful to have they are heart breaking because Grandma will be missed terribly by SO MANY. It made me even sadder when I realized that the smell of Grandma's house will fade from that pillow soon...

I'm so grateful to have had such a wonderful person in my life. My goal is to be more like Grandma Bea. She laughed a lot, she enjoyed life, and she was grateful for everything she had. She loved people unconditionally, and she made sure that you felt special. If everyone tried to be a little more like Grandma Bea, the world would be a better place.

I know she is happy now, and i will see her again. Until then I will miss her and think about her often. Love you, Grandma Bea.