Fin

When we left my grandmother last night, I kissed her and told her, “We’re leaving you in good hands. Don’t go anywhere; we’ll see you tomorrow.”

But she couldn’t wait.

She had a Valentine’s date with her husband and needed to put on her wings.

Agnes Richard was 92 years old. She is survived by two children, three grandchildren, three great-grandchildren. and two siblings, and she was loved very much.

Downhill

Grandma’s condition deteriorated rapidly in the last 24 hours. When we left her last night, she was talking to us and everything seemed normal. Now, she doesn’t even know we’re there. We can’t believe how fast everything changed.

We don’t expect her to make it through the week.

Last night, before we left her, she said, “I guess you’ll be glad when you’re rid of me. You’ll be free to do whatever you want.” Mom denied it, but I didn’t say anything, because I knew in my heart that it would be such a relief when all this was over. Now, both we’re heartbroken over that conversation. You always hope that your last words with someone you love will be good ones.

You can’t always get what you want.

Little things

When I was having my little emotional meltdown Saturday night, Mom kept telling me that, even when we’re overwhelmed with Grandma, we shouldn’t complain about my uncle because she doesn’t really want his help; he’ll let Grandma do whatever she wants rather than insisting on what she needs, which causes more problems than it solves. I could understand her point, but it still bothered me that we’re doing everything while he does almost nothing.

Yesterday, though, I had a bit of a revelation, and with it, a change of heart. Because he did something that we can’t do: he brought his granddaughters to visit. They had gone to a parade and they each brought a string of long pearlized beads for Grandma — a very appropriate gift since she’s always had a love of pearls. She was still smiling about it when I saw her last night, and that made such a difference for me. There’s so little that makes her really happy these days. If he can do that for her, that’s quite a contribution.

Uneventful holiday

By some miracle, Grandma made it through the holidays. She’s definitely looking worse — Mom’s been having a lot of trouble coaxing her out of bed the past couple of days. But she seemed to enjoy Christmas, and we never expected her to make it this long, so we’re not complaining. You have to be glad for whatever you can get in this world.