And stumbled across this letter from my Grandmother Ruth. It was written in 1994...
Upon seeing her handwriting, my sorting stopped. I sat there and looked at the writing... not reading it, just looking at the curves of her "L"... the slant of her "H"... the loop under the "G"... and I started crying.
I desperately miss my Gramma Ruth. One Thanksgiving week she lost her battle to cancer. Now every Thanksgiving, several times throughout the day, we'll talk about Gramma. How funny she was. How her house smelled. How she made a new dessert every night with dinner. How she loved her Franciscan Apple dinnerware.
When she was dying I was in "a bad place" of my life... and I didn't visit her very much. I couldn't deal with losing her. And so I acted as if she'd already passed. Oh how I regret that now...
This picture was taken at their 50th anniversary celebration. We were at Anthony's Fish Market in Chula Vista. We enjoyed time together... in true Marshek tradition, over food. But we knew her days were numbered...
Gramma was only with us a few more months after that picture was taken. And we sure appreciated the time together.
She took care of her family the best she knew how. She loved many children... hers and those that God alowed to pass through their lives (through the foster system). But most of all... she loved my Grampa. And for that I'm grateful. My Grandparents are leaving quite the legacy for the family to carry on...
Life is good...
4 comments:
your grandma would be very proud of the way you are carrying on her legacy...
You know I get it....just like when I found the note from my Dad! Lucky to have known your Grandparents into adulthood...many didn't grow up with them such as myself.
Love that you shared :-)
Lori, your description of your G-ma's handwriting touched me. Some schools no longer teach "cursive" writing. Perhaps its time has passed. But....my Mom (your G-ma's generation) talked about how important handwriting was in her time and her parent's time. And my Mom wrote letters. So many letters. That was her ministry. To write letters of comfort, of guidance, of encouragement. And her "script" was very distinctive. As you said, the loops, the slant, the tails of certain letters. It was a part of her message. I just spoke to a sister last night who just found some old letters by our Mom that ministered to her NOW. I am so glad you found your G-ma's letter and cherish it!
Thank you, ladies. I am so grateful for her legacy...
Post a Comment