A time for...

fun, laughter, friendship, quiet, reconnecting, relaxing and dying.  This past week has been a whirl wind.  Our trip to California was absolutely fantastic everything from the company to the weather was perfect.  More for sure to come on California.  When we were at the airport on Wednesday we got word that my grandma was not doing well. She has been slipping away little by little for really the last 6 months.

Thursday morning I went to visit and instantly knew that she did not have a lot of time left here....after sitting with her for a while and watching different people come in to say their goodbyes including her sister who lives down the hall....it was time for me to say goodbye.  I really believed that she might hang on for just enough time for my mom to come back later that evening from Texas...but as I said goodbye I told her that she was free to go if she wanted to...she could let go and let God...and just a few hours later that is exactly what she did. She was 93 years old...I was lucky enough to have her at my college graduation, wedding and meet my children--who took an active role in her life and enjoyed going to Pioneer Court to visit Grandma Dorothy and attend all her fun "parties"....so much that Clare remarked..."Well--Aunt June still lives there...so we can still go to the parties"  Just a few things I will remember about her:

• Her fabulous baking skills...some favorites...Red Cake and Scotcharoos
• The way she packed anything--including her creations in the kitchen to her tablecloths...they were perfectly wrapped, folded,etc....even on my best folding days I still cannot achieve this.
• Telling Sara and I that we were "full of prunes" if were trying to sneak something past her.
• Providing a place to go in-between the end of school and a sports game as they were just a few blocks away from the high-school...these stop overs always provided some yummy treats.
• The correct pronunciation of Ho-No-Ne-Gah---heavy on the Ho part....to which we would always say Ha-no-ne-gah--which always got her riled up....to those of you who have no idea what a Hononegah is....it is the name of the high school that we attended and that she was a secretary at.
• Making me drink the milk out of my cereal bowl.
• Her perfect cursive writing skills.
• Her lists and calendar
• Their annual trip to Texas and the prep and organization that went in to the trip.
• Telling Sara and I that a bar stool was no place for a proper lady...oops sorry grandma!
• The way little children responded to her and how she loved them.

So--this week has been a time for this and a time for that....So often I come back to the following and this week of course it is so true...

For everything there is a season,

And a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate,

A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8