For This I Am Grateful

I am so very grateful for all of the support that I've gotten over the past week since my grandmother passed away. Whether your condolences were expressed in person or online, every hug, word of encouragement, listening ear, text, tweet, Facebook message, comment, email, card, and flower has made an impact. My grandmother meant a great deal to me and I always knew that when this day came that it would be one of the toughest things I'd ever have to deal with. I wondered how on Earth I'd get through it. As it turns out, support from my friends and family has taken some of the sting out of it. Thank you.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the Cresson, PA American Legion, VFW, and Knights of Columbus for giving my grandmother, a World War II veteran, the dignified and honorable sendoff that she deserved. Seeing each of them salute her before the funeral was very moving, and the playing of "Taps" at the graveside service finished me off emotionally. There was also a 5 gun salute. It highlighted one of the many reasons that I was proud to be her granddaughter.

My grandparents' engagement photo.

My grandmother at 23.

My grandmother led an amazing life. She was an orphan, a tennis player, a model, and a member of the Women's Army Corps. She wasn't the hugs-and-kisses-and-making-cookies kind of grandma. She was a "Let me tell you about why I didn't like John Wayne (personally) and what it was like hanging out at Bing Crosby's mansion." kind of grandma. She felt it was important to help the less fortunate and did so in whatever way she could. She and my grandfather took people in as members of the family who didn't have anyone else.  She was fearless, even in having her aortic valve replaced last year. She faced every major heartbreak you could think of in life and handled it with grace. What a legacy.