Another tribute to family

I lost my grandmother to cancer this past weekend. Just a few weeks before, I recall sharing with a friend how lucky I was to have all four grandparents still living. Now, more than ever, I realize what a gift that truly was.

The night before her wake, we were looking through all Grandma's old photo albums to find pictures of her with various family members to post on a board at the funeral home. In one of her albums, I came across a printed out copy of my Thanksgiving blog entry (http://b-did.blogspot.com/2005/11/thanksgiving.html). Re-reading that entry, tears running down my face, I was reminded anew of how blessed I have been by my family. While I wish we could hold on to our loved ones forever, I am thankful for the 28 years I had with my grandmother. I'm thankful for the chance I had to say goodbye to her. I am thankful that she left this world surrounded by family, knowing that she was loved, and that she will be dearly missed.

I was reminded again this week by how little all the material things in life matter: the clothes, the car, the furniture, even the house that Grandpa built when they were first married. She can't take any of that with her. But the relationships she built - the lives she touched and the people she served - those things will last. So maybe next time I am deciding between spending an extra hour at work versus spending an hour with a friend, or between spending money on a new skirt versus donating that money to someone who needs it, I will choose what really matters. I think Grandma would approve.