Farmor

Today I am going to take a departure from the normal post about the adventures we take as a family. I want to take the time to tell you about your great grandmother, my farmor, your papa's mommy and let you know how much she meant to me.

Your great grandmother, Sylvelin, married your great grandfather, Vincent, and raised five children, your papa being the baby. She was loving, compassionate, resourceful, strong and always there. From what I have learned, she was a wonderful wife and mother who could whip up a quilt, make something scrumptious out of her kitchen, participate in community and church functions and nurture the people she loved most, all effortlessly.  I'm sure she had her good days and her bad days during the years of raising her family but the outcome of her efforts come through. They come through the children who have grown into great people that will continue her legacy.

One of my earliest memories of your great grandmother was when I took a trip to Bremerton,WA to visit her and my farfar alone when I was 7 years old. They both doted on me and showered me with so much undivided attention and love. It will be a visit that I will cherish forever.

And when you wonder why I must make spritz cookies every Christmas it is because when I was little she would send packages out to her grandkids full of goodies and my favorite was always her spritz cookies. I have been trying for the last few years to perfect them but they are still not as good as the ones I remember she made. Don't worry farmor, I'll figure them out;)

When your great grandmother had to finally sell her home, I asked if I could have some of her journals. From time to time, I take them out and read snippets of her life. Most of the entries are nothing more than what she did that day, how she was feeling, if she took a walk or not. But you come across lots of entries about her visits with friends and family and you can tell that that was what gave her the most joy.

She took her last breath sometime during the early morning of October 13, 2015. She had been battling Alzheimer's disease for the last few years and it was not only hard for her but also her helpless family. Even though her brain didn't allow her to remember the names or faces of her loved ones, I hope that in her final days she knew in her heart that she was loved and that she did good. Better than good. 

I sit here now flipping through her journals and letting the tears flow. Her journals allow me to see insight between the lines. Showing me that our lives are a culmination of days and what we make of them. Isn't that what life is about; the beginnings and the endings and all the little and big things in the middle that make the other two worthwhile.

I love you farmor

RIP