Supper with Grandie

Since Granddad passed away, my mother & I have made it our mission to minimize my Grandmother's (hereto referred to as Grandie) alone time.  Especially at meal time.

My Grandparents were married for 64 years.  That's a long time to "have & to hold" only to wake up one day and realize that your life partner is no longer there.  Nights are hard for her.  This was typically the time that she & Granddad would eat supper (as the older generation calls it), watch the evening news and read the newspaper.  Occasionally, an evening power-nap was in order.  At the end of their day they would retreat to the kitchen to enjoy a bedtime snack and some final conversation.  The comfort of this routine has been turned upside down.  She is now in an empty house where the only noise that is made is from the TV.  The thought of this saddens me.

The "Greats"

We have been together quite a bit over the past few months.  More so over the past few weeks.  Tomorrow marks three weeks since he slipped away.  In that time we have come to rely on each other for support.  We rely on Grandie, she relies on us.  It works.  

Of late, she comes to our home for dinner during the week and we have a meal with her at her house on the weekend.  The time in between my Mom makes sure that supper void is filled.  The kids entertain her with their high energy antics and she takes it all in.  Laughing at them, commenting on their abilities to perform such tricks.  They offer her piles of ripped blankets and stuffed animals because they know she is the one who "fixes" things.  Grandie loves this.  They need her to make these things better.  Tonight they were teaching her bowling, tennis and baseball on the Wii.  It's a great evening when she's here.  One we all look forward to.  I've learned to drink in these moments.  They don't last forever.

Perhaps the greatest comfort I find in our supper nights with Grandie is that in the midst of all of the sadness, we continue to make wonderful memories.