Dear Sweet Grandma

I've been sitting here at the computer for a long time staring at an empty screen, unable to think of a way to begin today's blog post.

I have the saddest news to share.

Yes, we have laid to rest my dear grandmother, Mary Wharton, a woman who lived a  blessedly long 98 years. My head tells me that I should have been prepared for this; after all, she had been growing weaker and more fragile these past few months. My heart tells me, though, that I wasn't ready; I will miss her so. This tug-of-war between my head and my heart has me discombobulated - one minute I can be giggling about stories and memories of Grandma, and the next I will be blubbering so much that I can't even talk.

Grandma died on Saturday night, around 9pm. Hospice had been called in just over 24 hours earlier, and we were preparing for the end. Burial was yesterday.

Grandma and I at her quilting frame. I own the quilt. And now, the frame.

When I think about the relationship I had with my grandmother, I really don't think I truly appreciated her until I was grown up. We became especially close after I married. Prior to that, I mostly took her for granted. When I was little, our family lived next door to Grandma and Grandpa, so it is very likely that their presence in our everyday world was just a matter of fact. They were simply more grown-ups keeping tabs on us kids.

I recall one of the first grown-up-to-grown-up days Grandma and I spent together. I was home from college on Christmas break in 1976, and Grandma was recovering from her first heart-attack. She wanted certain baking done for the holidays, so I went to her house to do the work while she directed from the sidelines, telling me what to do and how to do it. That day was the first time I ever made a pecan pie and a  mincemeat pie. I made cookies and candies, too. We were in the kitchen all day, and I recall it as being very pleasant. We worked well together.

My increasing interest in quilting, however, was what really cemented our bond. As a young wife and mother in the 1980s, I wanted quilts, and I knew the only way I'd ever have a lot of them was to make them myself. I already knew how to sew, and from time to time I needed just a bit of direction and advice with quilt-making which she was able to provide. We talked the same language when it came to quilts.

I invite you to scroll up to the top of the page and click on "Grandma's Quilts" (if you have a mobile device, you have to go to web version). You will see a few of the hundreds of quilts my grandmother made over the course of the 70-plus years that she quilted. I expect I have written about or referenced Grandma here on the blog about 40 or 50 times, so a search of  "grandma" in the search box will offer up a plethora of memories and stories of my sweet and amazing Grandma.

Happy Quilting, Friends!