My Grandma

My Grandma, Wanda Lee Herold, passed away Tuesday, December 18, 2007. She battled Parkinson's Disease for many years and I'm thankful for the comforting knowledge that she is healthy and restored in Heaven with our Loving Father.
I guess it speaks to the so-called "Circle of Life" to be writing this so shortly after my own daughter was born. One of my great desires throughout my pregnancy was that the two of them would be able to meet- that my Grandma would see Avery and catch a tiny glimpse of the impact of her life. My hope became reality a few weeks ago when I brought Avery over for a visit. My grandparents gushed with praise, talking about how cute and perfect she is, commenting on her hair and her size. As usual, I began nervously bantering about some difficult aspect of parenting, and in true grandma wisdom, she told me that "sometimes you've just got to go with the flow."
We shared a lot of loves, her and I: family, books, shopping, crafting, parties, jewelry, new furniture, a clean house. She taught me random things, like how to embroider (we practiced on paper napkins), how to knit, a way to make cool jewelry out of rolled up magazine pages. Every year she helped me plan my birthday party (themed, with coordinating home made invitations, of course), shop for my "back to school" outfit (we always found the coolest stores:), decide on my Halloween costume (which usually consisted of some aspect of her square dancing wardrobe), and create something new for my Mom's Christmas tree. She was an amazing woman who took what life had dealt her and turned out a large, loving family of healthy, capable, and truly happy people.
Sometimes, it is hard for me to hear her voice now. But, I have flashes of her- the clothes she wore, the way she walked, the way she wore her lipstick, her expressions. Mostly, I have the things she did, the way she loved, and the family she helped shape. And that, I think, is the best legacy of all.