Mary Jo McMackin
Grandma's memorial yesterday was truly lovely. It was a beautifully sad day. As my Dad said, "Today is a day for tears". The remembrance was full of warmth and beautiful stories and quite a few tears. We drove in a police escort from the funeral home to the cemetery and that too was a profound experience. People along the way paid their respects by flashing their lights and one bus driver even stepped from his drivers seat and removed his hat in honor of the procession. Once we arrived and at the same cemetery that holds her parents and sister, the grey air was palpable with sorrow and love. Finally, as we laid her to rest by sprinkling bright pink rose petals from her garden onto her elegant pink coffin, I began to feel a shift from sadness to acceptance that she is gone. The memories of her will certainly live on in the hearts, minds and lives of everyone she touched. My own personal memories with her are countless and simple. She loved to spoil her grandchildren and she really and truly loved us completely and never failed to tell us that. With all the sadness that the last week has brought, I am equally overwhelmed with gratitude. One thing that I realized this week is that we are lucky to feel so heartbroken over her departure. Lucky because to feel so sad means that we were so blessed with her life, so fortunate to have her and to have shared so much love with her.
