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My great grandmother died last night or early this morning. They aren't sure when. She requested to be placed in a nursing home (because, unlike everyone else in the world, she loves nursing homes), and the nurses there did not check on her until she was late for breakfast. She has been ill for quite some time. She's been diabetic since before I was born, and she was horrible at managing it. Her idea of fixing the problem was eating an entire cake, and then taking a double dose of insulin. At any rate, her kidneys have not been working properly for a while, and just a few weeks ago, the doctors didn't have much hope for any sort of recovery. Despite that, she managed to get to a point where she was nearly back to normal on the surface. Although, it appears that her body was still shutting down. They say she went in her sleep which, considering the situation, is a blessing, I suppose.
My dad called me when he got to work this morning to tell me. They found about at 8am, Eastern time, so he left me a message on my cell. I called back to ask what was going on since the message was vague - just one of those heart-attack-inducing messages that say, "Something happened. You need to call me right away." He said my mother called him this morning from work. She was upset and crying. I haven't talked to her, but I did call my grandmother (it was her mother that passed way) this morning. She was at the hospital with my grandfather. He's still recovering from the surgery on his colon. She seemed to be doing well, though I think so much of her energy is focused on helping my grandfather get better.
Times like this are so awkward when you live across the country from your family. I don't know what they expect of me, if anything. I don't think I'll be going home for the funeral, though. I'm trying to be as understanding and helpful as I can be, but I don't feel like I'm doing enough by just calling. Then again, that's all I really can do when there are 1,500 miles between us. Ehh. Whatever. It's just hard. I'll get over it.
In the last ten years or so, I've grown a bit more distant from granny (my great grandmother). When I was a kid, she lived across the road from us. I would walk over there often, especially in the summer, and she would give me cookies and great home-cooked food. Sometimes she'd give me a quarter for washing the dishes afterward. A quarter was nothing, but it was the first time I got money for work, which is exciting when you're eight years old. By the time I was sixteen, she and her husband (my step-great-grandfather) moved to another place in the neighborhood. It wasn't far, but it wasn't so close I could walk over and see her. Beyond that, there were other issues. She has always been a bit of a drama queen about her health. No one knew when she was really sick or when she was crying wolf. She cried wolf so many times that, in the end, everyone questioned whether she was sick or not. My mother and grandmother were constantly put upon by her, and it caused a bit of a rift in their relationships with her because she was so demanding. Because they distanced themselves from her, I didn't see her as often.
But all that's water under the bridge now, I suppose. I'm in one of those weird moods where it doesn't seem real to me. Living away from home helps that feeling since I'm not in the middle of the funeral preparations. I was sad when I talked to my father this morning, but I wasn't upset. I got a bit teary on my way to work, but I can't cry about it. I guess that's normal. It's just all so surreal. I feel bad for my mom and grandma, though. I hope they're okay.
And to end on a more positive note, a few weeks ago I actually posted a picture of my great grandmother from back in the day when she was a hottie waiting for her man to get out of the Navy. Here is it:
Go granny. :-)
Well, this entry was a downer, huh? I'm going to hop off to lunch and eat a Lean Cuisine of some sort. The Butternut Squash Ravoli Lean Cuisine is the best. If you haven't had it, you should go get one right now.
Oh, and I'm not going to proof this entry, so I'm sure there are mistakes galore.
My dad called me when he got to work this morning to tell me. They found about at 8am, Eastern time, so he left me a message on my cell. I called back to ask what was going on since the message was vague - just one of those heart-attack-inducing messages that say, "Something happened. You need to call me right away." He said my mother called him this morning from work. She was upset and crying. I haven't talked to her, but I did call my grandmother (it was her mother that passed way) this morning. She was at the hospital with my grandfather. He's still recovering from the surgery on his colon. She seemed to be doing well, though I think so much of her energy is focused on helping my grandfather get better.
Times like this are so awkward when you live across the country from your family. I don't know what they expect of me, if anything. I don't think I'll be going home for the funeral, though. I'm trying to be as understanding and helpful as I can be, but I don't feel like I'm doing enough by just calling. Then again, that's all I really can do when there are 1,500 miles between us. Ehh. Whatever. It's just hard. I'll get over it.
In the last ten years or so, I've grown a bit more distant from granny (my great grandmother). When I was a kid, she lived across the road from us. I would walk over there often, especially in the summer, and she would give me cookies and great home-cooked food. Sometimes she'd give me a quarter for washing the dishes afterward. A quarter was nothing, but it was the first time I got money for work, which is exciting when you're eight years old. By the time I was sixteen, she and her husband (my step-great-grandfather) moved to another place in the neighborhood. It wasn't far, but it wasn't so close I could walk over and see her. Beyond that, there were other issues. She has always been a bit of a drama queen about her health. No one knew when she was really sick or when she was crying wolf. She cried wolf so many times that, in the end, everyone questioned whether she was sick or not. My mother and grandmother were constantly put upon by her, and it caused a bit of a rift in their relationships with her because she was so demanding. Because they distanced themselves from her, I didn't see her as often.
But all that's water under the bridge now, I suppose. I'm in one of those weird moods where it doesn't seem real to me. Living away from home helps that feeling since I'm not in the middle of the funeral preparations. I was sad when I talked to my father this morning, but I wasn't upset. I got a bit teary on my way to work, but I can't cry about it. I guess that's normal. It's just all so surreal. I feel bad for my mom and grandma, though. I hope they're okay.
And to end on a more positive note, a few weeks ago I actually posted a picture of my great grandmother from back in the day when she was a hottie waiting for her man to get out of the Navy. Here is it:
Go granny. :-)
Well, this entry was a downer, huh? I'm going to hop off to lunch and eat a Lean Cuisine of some sort. The Butternut Squash Ravoli Lean Cuisine is the best. If you haven't had it, you should go get one right now.
Oh, and I'm not going to proof this entry, so I'm sure there are mistakes galore.
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And you're right; she was a hottie!
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