emily calls and says through tears that grandpa has died. mom and i say when's the funeral... and hop the next mode of transportation towards the creek (battle, that is).
these things are very sad, and we all look at eachother and are reminded to make the most of what we've all got together as a unit of family and friends. that's the good part about funerals - talking about grandpa and big boy's (he's there...third photo down on the right!) and his legacy as a math teacher...and catching up with everyone grieving around you.
i'd never met uncle larry's family before --never know how delightful emily's cousins were! orin and i got to be buddies (he was part of the big boy crowd)...and it had been what felt like forever since we'd seen paulette and sunny. longer since i'd been back in battle creek (never realized til now exactly how small it is).
we women went out for wine after the lunch reception (catered by everyone's very favorite shrank's cafeteria), and the next day grandma narrated a great tour of the greater battle creek countryside. she pointed out all the places her family and their neighbors had lived, the school... and after we burried grandpa we went to look in the other cemetary for grandma's grandpa. of course...we took pictures when we found him. |
