A Letter to Grandma – For Mother’s Day!

Dear Grandma Helen,

Grandma, you have longed passed from this earth. I hope truly that you are with the heavenly angels. When you died, I was a fourth grader—just ten years old. I remember the mid-afternoon telephone call and how my mother’s news of your passing left me numb and full of sadness. Oh, how I cried for your suffering and at your passing. At the time, I never wondered about where you were. I just knew that you were in heaven. How you traveled there; I had no clue.

But now I wonder if voices called out to you. Maybe your mother or your father? I wonder if you sensed fading away or being transported into the light. Or, if you were simply enveloped by the light and a brilliance which is said to be “beyond earthly comprehension.”

I’ve only been to your gravesite a few times since your death. The last time I stopped by your cemetery was with Grandma Lois. On that day, we agreed that a road trip down memory lane would be great fun. My maternal grandmother and I drove past all of the familiar landmarks on our way to your “neck of the woods”—past the dark and deep Millston Lake, through wooded lands, hills, and the central Wisconsin countryside.  We found your headstone after a little searching and found your resting place, exactly as it has remained for all of these years. With Grandpa now resting by your side, twenty years had passed. Oh, how I wish we could freeze time—for you and your love would still be with me now if I could wish for it to be so.

After your passing, we’d go frequently to see Grandpa, but our visits just weren’t the same. As you can imagine, your home became unkempt and dirty. Grandpa would visit with Dad, while Mom would keep us kids occupied. The men spoke of the land, neighbors, crops, the season, and of your extended family. But, after you left, there was truly an emptiness about the place. There were no more lovely flowers in the gardens, hikes through the woods, fishing trips to the creek, Avon deliveries, shopping excursions to the local dime store, family meals to prepare, or family celebrations to be had.