A "Thank You" to my Grandma

This morning my Grandma Borth passed away at the age of ninety four. I have not seen her in quite a while. Over the years, life has seemed to fill up, and I have not been great at keeping in touch. She was a stickler for "Thank You's." And I am awful at them. I am pretty sure I owe her quite a few. So, I thought I would write this "Thank you" to my grandma.

Dear Grandma,

I want to say "Thank You!" Thank you for being a woman who was not afraid to live life. You have always been larger than life to me. When I think of you, I think of stories that come with bragging rights because, Grandma, you lived a life worth telling.

Thank you for memories that define a bit of my childhood. I remember the smell of your house and eating zucchini bread covered in butter at your table in front of the window. I remember you telling me that the man praying over his bread, that appears in just about every house in America, was one of your neighbors. I remember the sign in your bathroom that says you will charge more for unused bath water. I remember your hands, red and raw from working so hard, doing dishes or cleaning.

Grandma, you often would remark how you had to take care of "old" people; they needed your help. You were around eighty yourself, but would never consider yourself old.

I have this memory of you telling me how you installed a toilet in your basement. You had rented a dumpster, cleared out your basement, and installed the thing yourself - a toilet. Even as I write it, it seems unreal. You were probably in your seventies at the time, and I could not imagine doing it at any age myself. You said you were tired of guests having to wait to use the bathroom, but, I suspect, maybe you were tired of waiting for guests to get out of the bathroom.

You passed away this morning. No one was expecting it, it seems. Apparently you had just gotten up to use the washroom. After lying back down, someone came to check on you, and you had passed away, just like that. And it seems like you, Grandma, to do things the practical way, without much fuss and taking care of things that needed doing before you went on.

Grandma, you always spoke your mind. You were a hard worker and a blessing to many who knew you.

So, thank you, Grandma, for the memories you have left in my life. You have touched many lives and will be missed.

Love,
Your Grandaughter