Thursdays with Grandma

After college, I found myself at loose ends.I moved back home and started working at my high school job and started taking graduate classes. I worked weekends, but I had Thursdays off. Thursdays turned into Grandma days. Some days we would go to Turkey Swamp Park with a picnic. Other times we would drive to the beach and walk on the boardwalk. Still other times were plain and boring - I would drive Grandma's car, fill it up with gas and go to the farmer's market. We would go out for a nice lunch and talk and talk and talk. I love hanging out with her and hearing her stories. She was always interested in what I was doing, and never, ever asked when I was getting a real job Thursdays were a lot of fun.

My grandmother died today. She was 93 and had suffered with Alzheimers for years. The first time she didn't know who I was devastated me. I don't think I stopped crying for a week. Just about a week ago, I went to visit her the day before her birthday. She slept through the last several visits I had with her, so I didn't hope for much. I arrived as she was out for some sun on the beautiful spring afternoon. She knew who I was! She proved that when I tried to convince her I was her favorite grandchild. She looked me in the eye and glared the Grandma glare at me. She told me twice that she loved me, and we watched the birds and spring flowers together. She held my hand and kept telling me she couldn't talk much. For an hour, I had my Grandma back. It was such a wonderful gift.

I will miss my grandmother. She was a steady influence in my childhood. I can't remember a time when I didn't see her at least every week. She could bake bread better than anyone I ever met. Her muffins were legendary. She would walk to the market almost daily to get dinner. On special occasions, she would walk us to Jamesway to eat in their restaurant. She was stubborn. She was smart. She was an army nurse who took crap from no one. I loved her dearly and can't really believe she's gone.