March 21, 2009

Grammy's Funeral and a Family Reunion

My grandmother, passed away last Saturday after a long decline from Alzheimer's. Joe and I spent her last evening at her bedside, with the children, talking with her, holding her hand, loving her, and saying a rosary. I know she heard our words and our prayers, and I hope they were comforting to her and helped her to go to God in peace. She couldn't speak or squeeze my hand through the evening, but at the end she mustered up the strength to say something which Joe and I are both sure was "I love you." We love you too, Grammy. You are in our hearts and our prayers.

There is a silver lining in everything, and this funeral brought my six brothers and me together under one roof -- something that hasn't happened for about a decade. The photo below is my brothers and me, just minutes before we walked out the door for Grammy's funeral. Grammy was surely smiling down on this long-overdue family reunion in her honor.