She passed away this morning after a courageous bout of lung cancer. She kept her humor to the very end. I am blessed to have known her for the past 4 years. During the past month, I have spent hours sitting with her and swapping stories. This past Sunday, I had the privilege of going to the Festival of Trees with Grandma, Michelle, and Jack. We had a fantastic time and Grandma loved seeing the trees that were being donated to the different ministries for kids. On Monday night, I stopped by to see her and I was going to leave early. I asked her if she wanted me to go or stay and she said that she always enjoyed my company and I was more than welcome to stay. So, stay I did and I'm so grateful. Tuesday night we were conversing and she said she needed a seamstress. I asked what she needed and she said her pajama pants needed some elastic because she couldn't work the drawstring. I told her I would come with a measuring tape the next day to figure it out. Yesterday, I arrived and she was sitting in her chair and she had fuzzy, white gloves on. When I asked what the gloves were for she said, "To keep my hands warm of course!" I said, "That's a good reason. I thought maybe they were something technical." We laughed over that. I told her of my plans to get a cheesecake from the cheesecake factory for Michelle's birthday. She thought it was a good idea and I told her it could be from her. She said, "That's a lie and I don't tell lies." Her friend Jan was there and said that she would still go to heaven even if we told Michelle that. Then I said we could tell Michelle it was Grandma's idea and she liked that. Right before dinner came, we heard a knock on the door. Michelle told them to come in. A man came in the doorway and kneeled down. Then we heard a loud sound and a rip. Then there was another loud sound and a rip. He had applied 2 pieces of duct tape on the floor in the doorway. I immediately turned to Grandma and Michelle and said that we were going to have a contest. Whoever guessed what the tape was for would win a piece of baklava. Grandma Fran immediately spoke up. "It's to keep the bed bugs out. They've sprayed it with DDT and that will kill them." Michelle suggested a barrier to keep the patients in and I said a barrier to keep the nurses out. Then Grandma said, "Well, it doesn't work to well as a sound barrier." (There was a very noisy patient across the hall.)
I am so blessed to have known Grandma Fran and to have spent so much time with her. She will be greatly missed.
