Thinking of my G'ma, who left us last night,
one month before her 93rd birthday. I think of her poise &
feistiness, sharp wit & perfect pork chops, handwritten postcards
& garden flowers, full laughter & impromptu dancing. She lit up
our lives with so much beauty & celebration.
I wrote the above on October 3rd, the day after G'ma passed away, but have been unable to finish any kind of post, writing things & then erasing them, never really finishing. I don't know how to describe my feelings of loss. A loss which is multiplied by the feeling that with it comes the end of an era -- the end of the G'people era (G'pa left us in 2007).
The G'people era was truly golden & includes some of my very best memories. Garden parties & playhouses, brunches & happy hours, croquet & badmitton, & always delicious food & lots of laughter. Growing up vacationing on their multi-acre estate in Lake Oswego was a childhood dream come true. There were trees to climb (& get stuck in, just ask my sister), a garden to escape in, a big grass field to play with cousins, fresh berries & peas to eat, & a hidden playhouse with our own mailbox. The adventures & memories are too many to name.
Even after reaching adulthood & saying goodbye to their home in Oregon, we continued the golden days & evenings at their beautiful little home in West Seattle. When G'pa died, many things changed but I realized how much of the golden hues were due to G'ma, with her quick wit & infectious laughter, things that remained even as her memory faded.
One of my favorite photos of G'ma -- dancing her way outside as the sun sets at our wedding.
G'ma & G'pa on their 65th wedding anniversary.
I wrote the above on October 3rd, the day after G'ma passed away, but have been unable to finish any kind of post, writing things & then erasing them, never really finishing. I don't know how to describe my feelings of loss. A loss which is multiplied by the feeling that with it comes the end of an era -- the end of the G'people era (G'pa left us in 2007).
The G'people era was truly golden & includes some of my very best memories. Garden parties & playhouses, brunches & happy hours, croquet & badmitton, & always delicious food & lots of laughter. Growing up vacationing on their multi-acre estate in Lake Oswego was a childhood dream come true. There were trees to climb (& get stuck in, just ask my sister), a garden to escape in, a big grass field to play with cousins, fresh berries & peas to eat, & a hidden playhouse with our own mailbox. The adventures & memories are too many to name.
Even after reaching adulthood & saying goodbye to their home in Oregon, we continued the golden days & evenings at their beautiful little home in West Seattle. When G'pa died, many things changed but I realized how much of the golden hues were due to G'ma, with her quick wit & infectious laughter, things that remained even as her memory faded.
One of my favorite photos of G'ma -- dancing her way outside as the sun sets at our wedding.
G'ma & G'pa on their 65th wedding anniversary.
And this, just the best photo of them.
I am so happy to have a few memories of G'ma with Blakey. She thought he was great fun.
I'm going to sign off now before I start crying.
Leaving with a photo from the golden days -- G'pa & G'ma with the four grandchildren on the front walk of their Egan Way estate.
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