Memories of Grandma

One year ago today, my beloved Grandmother passed away.  She had been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and also had breast cancer surgery a few months prior to her death.  She was very sharp, witty and loved to use her mind.  Alzheimer's was the worst thing for her to have had to suffer because it diminished her most prized possession - her mind.  She played crossword puzzles and Upwords daily (sometimes for hours) to keep her mind sharp until the last few months when she could no longer formulate the words.

She really liked to tell a good joke.  Every week she would come to dinner at our house (we lived in the same neighborhood) and she always tried to have a new joke to tell us.  

Just before she passed away, my parents took a very much needed break from the 24 hour intensive care that she required.  They went out of town for a few days and I stayed with Grandma.  I have some great memories of the time I spent with her but I thought I would share one of my favorites.

One night when I was sitting with her watching television she looked up at me.  "What hotel is this?" she asked.  I explained that we weren't at a hotel, but that we were in her bedroom at her home.  She looked confused and then said "No wonder the service here is so lousy!"  I laughed so hard and she just looked at me with a twinkle in her eye, knowing that she had said something funny but not necessarily sure of what it was.  

Less than two weeks later she passed away.  I was so blessed to have spent that time with her and still miss her very much.