The Mind of Mr. M

I was reading a friend's blog this evening and her vivid recounting of time she spent with her Nana touched me...thanks Elle Bee.

My grandmother was such a wonderful lady. The picture above is her walking with her father on a trip to San Francisco. She loved this picture. My grandmother, loved her grandchildren. She was always so patient and kind with us.

I remember moving out here from Arizona and my mom, brother and I living with my grandma and grandpa. Everyone worked except my grandma so she would watch us when we came home from school. She was always so funny and tried to engage us. Except of course, the one hour a day, "All My Children" was on.

One of my favorite memories with my grandma is playing Chess. She taught me how to play. What was really cool about it, is how she taught me to think and plan my moves and not just randomly move pieces around the board. I look back now and think that she either had the patience of Job, or just loved me that much. I am sure it is the latter. I can recall one night, when my mom and dad were out late and grandpa had gone to bed and I told her I wanted to play all night. I'm not sure what time it was but I know I kept dosing off and my grandma kept asking me if I still wanted to play...I would assure her I wasn't falling asleep and she would keep playing.

She made me feel like I was her favorite grand kid. What made her great though, is I think everyone of her grandchildren felt that way. She helped take care of her grand children and even had them living with her until just a few months before she died. She fought breast cancer for many years and lost the battle in 2000, when my oldest was only five years old.

Though my grandmother didn't get a chance to live as long as she may have liked. I know that she would have loved and spent time with every one of her grandchildren, the same way she did with me. I also know that my children would have loved her every bit as much as I did.

I think that I surprised some people by not going to her funeral, but I truly believe that she wouldn't want anyone to be sad or cry over her. I think she would have wanted me to think about all the wonderful times and special moments we had while she was alive. That is how I choose to remember her...the beautiful woman with an open heart and a love for her family.

Thank you, Grandma.