Losing Our Matriarch

On Tuesday night, my grandmother passed away after having collapsed at home the night before.  She was 82 years old, and would have been married for 61 years this Friday.  With her husband, she had three children (one deceased), four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.  We were all with her, except Miss F who was with *B* in the waiting room as no one under 12 was allowed in the hospital unit.  My uncle's widow, my mother (my grandmother's ex-daughter-in-law), my brother's fiancee, and my grandmother's sister were also in attendance.

I had never been in the room when someone passed before.  I've never been to a funeral either, though that will change by the end of the week.  Right now I feel like I've accepted it, but I haven't been through most of the traditional stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.  That makes me wonder if Friday will be the end of the healing process or the raw beginning.  We'll see what happens.

In honor of my grandmother, here are a few of the things she loved:
- Her family
- Her church
- Saint Therese of Lisieux
- Christmas cacti
- Geraniums
- Wave petunias
- Homemade sour beef with mashed potatoes
- Ice cream after dinner
- Going to Ocean City in the summer
- Going on cruises
- Getting something on sale
- Collectibles (beanie babies, Christmas villages, etc).
- Email forwarded jokes