For My Grandma

I am taking a break from my college program at Disney to fly home for four days. I received the unfortunate news that my grandma had passed away on Sunday morning. She passed away peacefully in her sleep.

It was the first day at work without a trainer. It was also my first 10 hour shift. I was very stressed and tired when I got back to my apartment. I was in bed ready to go to sleep when my mom called me and told me the news.

Now I've had trouble contacting people in the program the last weeks. With the struggles I've had, I wasn't expecting it to be so easy. I just called housing and told them. They gave me bereavement. I decided to come home to visit for multiple reasons.

First of all, I had Wednesday and Thursday off. I didn't want to sit there thinking that I'm not with my family during this time. I didn't want to do anything fun like go to the parks. Both would make me feel guilty and would painful. And if I'm going to mourn, I want to mourn with the ones I love and share memories of her with me.

My roommates have been so supportive. I am so blessed. When I found out, they were by my side right away. They offered advice, let me talk it out and just helped. Shout out to Colleen for giving me a ride to Walmart to get blank DVDs to burn my grandmas memorial video that I made for her wake.

Enough about that. My grandma, Vernita Dummer, was such a strong woman. She raised five girls and a boy. She loved gardening whether it was veggies or flowers. Her love for flowers was especially strong. When my grandpa passed away, the line at the wake was going out the door, a true testament as to how big of am impact they made together. I am ready to see the same thing at her wake on Thursday.

She loved to play cards. Her Christmas tree was beautiful every single year. It is now at our home in Sioux Falls. My family loved it so much, we brought it home when we cleaned out their house a few summers ago. We would walk through the back yard to visit the chickens in the neighbors yard. There was a set of roller blades she would break out for us kids. We were pretty sad when we out grew those. 

She collected little angels, and gave one to me as I went to college. And, she made each of her grand children beautiful jean quilts. I will never let it go. And I hope the green rosary she wanted me to have, since we shared the same birth month, shows up some day. She has the best meatballs ever by the way. 

We all loved to dye easter eggs with her and have easter egg hunts. Those ice cream cups and tiny like cereal boxes got me excited every time I came to visit. The polka music I'd hear early in the morning when we spent the night, and the coo coo clock going off every hour. All those things will stay with me and bring back many memories.

Those memories are what I will focus on instead of her last words to me. But, she went the way she wanted, to fall asleep and not wake up.

The thought of knowing she is free from suffering puts me at peace. She had a good long life and brought love and kindness into this world. But my favorite idea is that Grandma and Grandpa are together again, dancing in heaven.

We love you Grandma and will miss you!