On Monday, May 25th, my grandmother passed away from pancreatic cancer. It was not an unexpected death, but who is ever prepared to lose someone?
My mom's mother was a riot. When I was born, she told my mom that she was too young to be a grandma. So she would not answer to "grandma" but to her name, Carole. Yes, like a Christmas carole. While we only saw her very couple of years, some of my best memories were the summers we spent catching lightening bugs and pretending to be Transformers in the front yard.
Eric and I packed up the car and Ariel (who was only 2 1/2 weeks old) and made the 24 hour drive to Ohio. Ariel did great in the car. Thank goodness.
While I'll miss Carole an awful lot, something good has come from her passing. We were able to reconnect with cousins we haven't seen in 18 years. It was such a shame that so much time passed between us-- all because of miscommunication and misunderstanding. My sister and I even met family that we didn't know existed! The entire occasion was bittersweet.
The funeral service Carole was nicely done and Vicki even sang a song that brought everyone to tears. But despite our mourning, life continues. The reception felt more like a family reunion with laughing, picture snapping, and story swapping. I know my grandma was looking down on us and laughing at our jokes and glad that her family was reunited.
The McClendon Grandkids & Ariel
Grandpa and his girls (Vicki's shooting the pic)If you are inclined to pray, please keep our family in mind, especially my Grandpa. I know that the upcoming holidays are going to be hard on all of us. Carole's spirit will never leave us, as we all carry a piece of her in our hearts.
