Ella Mae Menard, my last grandparent, passed away this morning at 6:25 AM. I don't know what the official papers will say her cause of death was. I know that she died of a broken heart.
My grandmother has had medical problems for years but she didn't begin the long, slow slide to the end until my grandfather passed away on December 18, 2006. Almost one year to the day of his admission to the hospital Grandma was first admitted to Christus St. John's Hospital. She was admitted again the end of December 2007 and spent her last birthday in her hospital room.
Today she lost her fight. She went peacefully. Her passing was restful and quiet, filled with the dignity and peace she always tried to conduct herself with in life.
She was a strong woman in all the ways that counted... and in some that were annoying to those that loved her most. (She and I butted heads many times over the years. My hard headedness came, in a large part, from her. I was the grandchild that... errr... challenged her the most. Heh)
She was a good wife and mother. She was a great grandparent. She was a better person.
She wasn't perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination, but she tried so hard to do the right things for those she loved.
We'll all miss you Grandma. Rest easy now. Give Grandpa a hug for me when you see him again.
Ella Mae Menard
December 25, 1922 - March 14, 2008
Showing posts with label Memorium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memorium. Show all posts
Friday, March 14, 2008
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Too Blessed To Be Stressed...
Ummm Not so much. 4:30am we were awakened by a call from my Nanny Deb. My grandmother lives with her. Grandma was having problems. Her blood pressure was 197/102 and her Oxygen level was only 85%. That's really high and really low for those that don't know. Nanny Deb wanted to take her to the ER. Grandma said she just wanted to be left alone to die. In the end, my cousin Jody convinced her to go to the ER by explaining that she wasn't DYING, per se, but that she'd likely have a stroke with her Blood Pressure being so high and wouldn't THAT just make the quality of her life SO much better? (GO JODY!!!)
She's been in the ER at the hospital since shortly after 7:00AM. We were told she'd been moved to the ICU... only... she's STILL in the fricking ER waiting on a bed to free up in ICU.
They've given her some nitre glycerin and her blood pressure is better. They're still admitting her though.
The kicker, my friends, is that today is the one year anniversary of my grandfather, her husband, passing away. Mom had planned to go to the cemetery and visit Grandpa. She didn't get to go. She felt like she needed to stay close to home in case they needed her for something.
As horrible as this is going to make me sound, I wonder how much of Grandma's health crisis today is due to it being the anniversary of his death. How much of it was her wanting to die because its the day he died and how much of it was her wanting the focus of today to be on her. (You would have to really know my grandmother to understand why I would even THINK this.) I feel like a really shitty person for wondering those things, but, I do wonder them.
Mom feels like she was robbed of the opportunity to reflect on her father's life and passing today. She feels like, this day, of all days, should have been about him. Yet, she's forced to put her focus elsewhere. I agree with her, but again, I have to wonder if it was horrible that it turned out the way it did. The focus of today became the living, not the dead. I'm not so sure that's such a horrible way to mark the passing of a man we all loved and miss.
Maybe, I'm just thinking too much....
She's been in the ER at the hospital since shortly after 7:00AM. We were told she'd been moved to the ICU... only... she's STILL in the fricking ER waiting on a bed to free up in ICU.
They've given her some nitre glycerin and her blood pressure is better. They're still admitting her though.
The kicker, my friends, is that today is the one year anniversary of my grandfather, her husband, passing away. Mom had planned to go to the cemetery and visit Grandpa. She didn't get to go. She felt like she needed to stay close to home in case they needed her for something.
As horrible as this is going to make me sound, I wonder how much of Grandma's health crisis today is due to it being the anniversary of his death. How much of it was her wanting to die because its the day he died and how much of it was her wanting the focus of today to be on her. (You would have to really know my grandmother to understand why I would even THINK this.) I feel like a really shitty person for wondering those things, but, I do wonder them.
Mom feels like she was robbed of the opportunity to reflect on her father's life and passing today. She feels like, this day, of all days, should have been about him. Yet, she's forced to put her focus elsewhere. I agree with her, but again, I have to wonder if it was horrible that it turned out the way it did. The focus of today became the living, not the dead. I'm not so sure that's such a horrible way to mark the passing of a man we all loved and miss.
Maybe, I'm just thinking too much....
Monday, October 8, 2007
Update and Links I'd Like You To Visit
Good Morning! Happy Columbus Day! I have some things I wanna talk about today but its nothing terribly important.
Here's a quick update on the weight loss scene. I lost 5.2 lbs this week. I'm at my lowest weight in AGES. I now weigh 420 lbs. I'm getting so close to breaking the 400 lb mark I can freaking TASTE it. AIIIIIIGH. I found out last week I actually only gained 3 lbs not 5. Mom rounded up when she told me verbally. I yelled a long time about THAT one. Heh.
My walk today was really good. I managed 7 minute cycles of walking rather than 5 and I got in 10 laps per cycle rather than 7. It was sort of a power walk... for me. LOL. A REAL power walked would have looked and said... "Ummm... lady... yer CRAWLING" but I feel good about having managed to increase my time, speed and number of laps. Gonna aim for the same for the rest of the week.
My friend Jess over at Oh, The Joys is having a rough time. Her grandmother passed away very suddenly this weekend. She's got a very moving tribute to her up on her site. Please go by and check it out. Give her some support and love from the Blogaverse!
Another friend of mine, Wendy, over at One Day At A Time... is asking the Blog Community to stand up and help her support a really great cause. If you can afford to donate I encourage you to do so. If you can't, like me, perhaps linking to her and giving her more exposure for the cause would be a nice way to help out. Her email to me follows and it contains a link:
Tessa,
Hunger is an issue that has become very important to me and I have decided to get involved! I am walking in the CROP Hunger Walk and I need your help. Please consider making a donation to my efforts. Your donation supports programs that work to solve this world-wide challenge.You can help me by making a donation online. Click on the link below and you will be taken to my personal donation page where you can make a secure online credit card donation. Thank you,Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Church World Service.
Wendy
That's it for now. I'll be back tonight with today's Menu.
OH! Shecky is FINALLY off restriction and can go play. PRAISE JEBUS I made it through! errr HE MADE IT THROUGH... heh.
Here's a quick update on the weight loss scene. I lost 5.2 lbs this week. I'm at my lowest weight in AGES. I now weigh 420 lbs. I'm getting so close to breaking the 400 lb mark I can freaking TASTE it. AIIIIIIGH. I found out last week I actually only gained 3 lbs not 5. Mom rounded up when she told me verbally. I yelled a long time about THAT one. Heh.
My walk today was really good. I managed 7 minute cycles of walking rather than 5 and I got in 10 laps per cycle rather than 7. It was sort of a power walk... for me. LOL. A REAL power walked would have looked and said... "Ummm... lady... yer CRAWLING" but I feel good about having managed to increase my time, speed and number of laps. Gonna aim for the same for the rest of the week.
My friend Jess over at Oh, The Joys is having a rough time. Her grandmother passed away very suddenly this weekend. She's got a very moving tribute to her up on her site. Please go by and check it out. Give her some support and love from the Blogaverse!
Another friend of mine, Wendy, over at One Day At A Time... is asking the Blog Community to stand up and help her support a really great cause. If you can afford to donate I encourage you to do so. If you can't, like me, perhaps linking to her and giving her more exposure for the cause would be a nice way to help out. Her email to me follows and it contains a link:
Tessa,
Hunger is an issue that has become very important to me and I have decided to get involved! I am walking in the CROP Hunger Walk and I need your help. Please consider making a donation to my efforts. Your donation supports programs that work to solve this world-wide challenge.You can help me by making a donation online. Click on the link below and you will be taken to my personal donation page where you can make a secure online credit card donation. Thank you,Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Church World Service.
Wendy
That's it for now. I'll be back tonight with today's Menu.
OH! Shecky is FINALLY off restriction and can go play. PRAISE JEBUS I made it through! errr HE MADE IT THROUGH... heh.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
9-11-2007
I've been struggling with this post for days. I know the importance of marking the passing of September 11. I know the remembrance of what happened 6 years ago today helped to shape who I am. I know that a moment of silence for all those that perished is only a minor tribute and that they deserve so much more, as do their families.
I know that on 9-11-2001 I lost the last vestiges of my innocence, of my naivete, as did a lot of other people. I know that on that day I thanked God my son was too young to understand what was happening and that my husband was no longer full time active duty with the military, and yet, I still feared these events would call him away from us into a war no one truly understands the reasons for or the motives behind. I know that the first shots in that war were fired at us, not by us.
I know that the damage done on that day was more than cosmetic and that no one who witnessed what happened will ever forget the fear, the sadness, the anger, the hurt or the confusion it caused. I know nothing will ever be the same. I also know, I wouldn't want it to be.
The events that happened on September 11, 2001 made me an adult. The realization that people out in the big, bad world wished me, and every other American, harm simply because we don't share the same belief systems, the same advantages and disadvantages, and the same geographic location, made me grow up. It made me step outside my safe, comfy little life and see how, perhaps, our lives are viewed by others and it made me sad that the intolerance that we've tried so hard to eradicate within our own country had reared its ugly head from the outside and invaded us once again.
I began to wonder if intolerance could ever really be done away with. I began to loose hope for the world my son would grow up in. I began to fear for the life my child would have in a world so adverse to allowing for differences, so against allowing people to have their own beliefs, so opposed to embracing the variety and welcoming the diverse experiences different cultures have to offer.
Then, something... happened. I watched our nation pull together. I watched people with no ulterior motives, no personal stake, no real personal cause to be involved ,sweep across the nation in a great tide of patriotism, belonging and pride. We prayed. We cried. We sang. We rallied. We stood strong. TOGETHER.
Our men and women are STILL fighting this war. Families are separated. Kids are doing without their parents. Spouses handle day to day life alone. Neighbors are helping one another get by in the absence of and the danger faced by their loved ones. They fight for our freedom. They fight for our pride. They fight for our way of life. They fight for US.
Today I make a choice. Today I step forward and challenge everyone else to do the same. September 11 is no longer a day of mourning. No longer a day to dread. I choose to have this date as a day to be thankful for what we GAINED on September 11, 2001. The losses will always be with us and we should never forget them but its time folks, its time to remember and be thankful for the renewal of our strength as a nation, as a people. Its time to look at 9-11 as a new beginning for us and as a reminder that we truly ARE all in this together and that united there's little that can take us down.
I know that on 9-11-2001 I lost the last vestiges of my innocence, of my naivete, as did a lot of other people. I know that on that day I thanked God my son was too young to understand what was happening and that my husband was no longer full time active duty with the military, and yet, I still feared these events would call him away from us into a war no one truly understands the reasons for or the motives behind. I know that the first shots in that war were fired at us, not by us.
I know that the damage done on that day was more than cosmetic and that no one who witnessed what happened will ever forget the fear, the sadness, the anger, the hurt or the confusion it caused. I know nothing will ever be the same. I also know, I wouldn't want it to be.
The events that happened on September 11, 2001 made me an adult. The realization that people out in the big, bad world wished me, and every other American, harm simply because we don't share the same belief systems, the same advantages and disadvantages, and the same geographic location, made me grow up. It made me step outside my safe, comfy little life and see how, perhaps, our lives are viewed by others and it made me sad that the intolerance that we've tried so hard to eradicate within our own country had reared its ugly head from the outside and invaded us once again.
I began to wonder if intolerance could ever really be done away with. I began to loose hope for the world my son would grow up in. I began to fear for the life my child would have in a world so adverse to allowing for differences, so against allowing people to have their own beliefs, so opposed to embracing the variety and welcoming the diverse experiences different cultures have to offer.
Then, something... happened. I watched our nation pull together. I watched people with no ulterior motives, no personal stake, no real personal cause to be involved ,sweep across the nation in a great tide of patriotism, belonging and pride. We prayed. We cried. We sang. We rallied. We stood strong. TOGETHER.
Our men and women are STILL fighting this war. Families are separated. Kids are doing without their parents. Spouses handle day to day life alone. Neighbors are helping one another get by in the absence of and the danger faced by their loved ones. They fight for our freedom. They fight for our pride. They fight for our way of life. They fight for US.
Today I make a choice. Today I step forward and challenge everyone else to do the same. September 11 is no longer a day of mourning. No longer a day to dread. I choose to have this date as a day to be thankful for what we GAINED on September 11, 2001. The losses will always be with us and we should never forget them but its time folks, its time to remember and be thankful for the renewal of our strength as a nation, as a people. Its time to look at 9-11 as a new beginning for us and as a reminder that we truly ARE all in this together and that united there's little that can take us down.
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