Feels like yesterday

It feels like yesterday that I was sitting beside my grandma, telling her all about my life as a 13 year old. I had a fresh new perm in my hair that she complimented me on as I filled her in on all the trials and tribulations of being a teenager in the 90's. The day I am talking about was a sunny day in May 1997, my grandma was in the hospital, fighting a losing battle. I didn't know it that day, but it would be my last conversation that I would ever have with my grandma. I sat with her for hours, just the two of us. And when it was time to leave, I got up, kissed her cheek, then stood at the end of her bed and told her I loved her. She smiled. And I was gone. And just like that, so was she. She was my first loss & its been incredibly hard for our family..but it still feels like just yesterday she was here

 This is my grandma's graduation photo from 1945, wasn't she beautiful?

My grandma lived an amazing life. When she was younger she was (apparently) an amazing swing dancer and loved having a good time. She met my grandpa just out of school and they fell madly in love with each other! They had 4 children, my father being their baby and lived a simple, yet incredible love story. One that I envied for most of my life! My grandma is also a symbol of strength for me, she battled polio, cancer, a leg amputation & a tracheotomy in her life..and she remained strong throughout it all. She is my hero.

Her favorite flower was the lilac, and every time I see one or smell one I can't help but allow my thoughts to drift to her..she was beautiful, she was strong, she was loved, she was my grandma and my role model. 14 years ago today she left us for a better place. But every Spring, a lilac blooms and she lingers in their scent..