My Amazing Grandma

I found this photo of my Mom and 3 of her 8 siblings. Takes you back in time, doesn't it?

Seeing it makes my Grandmother even more precious than ever.

She stands less than 5 feet tall, quiet as a mouse
but can quiet a room of over 100 in seconds.
She has a silent power about her - an inspiration to anyone that knows her.
She is 88 years old and until last year worked with "the elderly".

Now, just a year later, she is in a nursing home:
asking to go "home"
begging to see her siblings who have died years ago
scolding her children for never coming to visit
(although they are with her from the minute she wakes up until the second she falls asleep)
& insisting she must start dinner because "they" will be here any minute.

She has forgotten more than we ever imagined.

She is the second person in my life that has had to deal with this horrible disease but with her it seems more difficult. My Dad's mother battled alziemers for years but it seemed to happen slower with her. She seemed to forget one or two things every time I saw her -- my Mom's mother seems to forget ten or twenty years every time I see her.

I assume it is my age and I notice it more.
I assume it is because I have children now and I want them to know her.
I assume it is because she is simply her.

All that she has done for everyone is finally catching up to her.

It's almost like her brain just needs a break. Like everything will come in clearly once she lets it rest.

Thinking of her makes me smile, seeing her makes me cry but still I am anxious to plan my next visit to see her.

Maybe just for a minute she will remember where she is or what she is doing and I will be able to tell her how much I love her and how much she means to me.

Love you Grandma!