To Granny

Many of you already know that Ryan's mother Mary Kay passed away from lung cancer earlier this month. Normally I might not blog about something so sad and so personal, but, seeing that this blog was one of Granny's greatest joys, we thought it fitting that we pay tribute to her here.

What to say about Granny? (Yes, once the girls were born I too called her "Granny," and was encouraged to do so by Mary Kay herself!) I remember a time shortly after I first met her, when she told me she was the family's protective "Mama Bear." This claim intimidated me a bit, to be sure - how would this Mama Bear view me, the new girlfriend of her beloved middle child (and a Yankee at that?) Was I seen as an intruder out to steal one of her cubs? Well, I didn't need to worry; Granny treated me as one of her own from the start.

And I soon began to realize what she meant by this statement. Her family was a large one - a husband, three children, three grandchildren (at the time), not to mention her own brother and sisters, nieces and nephews. It was big and boisterous, and everyone in it looked out for each other. And at the head of this wild bunch, so full of love (and shits and giggles), was Mary Kay, the family's true matriarch. She looked out for the welfare of each of us, worried about us all immensely, made sure we were all well fed, and, I'm certain, would have easily given her life if it meant protecting her family. It was a fierce love Granny had for her family, and it was a beautiful love. She was indeed a Mama Bear in the very greatest sense.

Granny (with her doggies) and the fam. This was taken in 2010, prior to two new grand-kids!

 

There are things I will always remember about Granny. Her infectious and adorable laugh, and how quick she was to use it. How extremely selfless she was. How little she complained, even though she suffered long-term health problems that often caused her severe pain. How she would use her "Granny money" to buy copious amounts of toys for the little ones. How she became intent on completing our vast Little People collection (thanks to some online purchases she made shortly before she passed, that collection continues to grow.) How she always found the best discounts in the 80% off clearance section at Kohl's and would stock the whole family up on kids' clothes. The bags upon bags of delicious crispy noodles she and her sister Linda would bring back from the Chinese food place in Frisco. The picture books she would give the girls, "just because," and the little notes she would write inside. And the sweet cards she would send, always complete with a long, heartfelt message to the recipient. Her love of hummingbirds, and the beautiful flowers she would plant to attract and feed them. How utterly cool she was when she lost all her hair to chemo and sported a bald head without a hint of self-consciousness. How, no matter how much she was hurting or how weak she felt, she would always find the strength to scoop up and hold onto her grand-babies. How very brave she acted in the face of death, and how her greatest desire in life was for her family to remain close and to love and take care of each other always.

I can say I am grateful to have become one of her many "cubs," and to have been fully accepted as part of her family. I'm so grateful to have been able to give her immense joy in the form of Elliott and Zoey, two little granddaughters she loved and spoiled with every ounce of her being. We will work hard to make sure our girls know how much she adored them and that they remember what a truly wonderful Granny she was.

Granny and Grandpa meeting Elliott for the very first time.

Shortly after meeting Zoey on a visit to see us in DC. Granny was able to soothe her better than most during those crazy evening crying spells.

I know it's silly, but I'd like to think she will always be out there reading our blog and trolling it for pictures and videos of the girls; she was most definitely its number one fan! If she was reading this post though, my guess is she'd be pretty annoyed that I devoted a whole post to her and not to the babies. Sorry. I'll get back to them soon, Granny. And I'll be thinking about you with every update I write.

I always loved this picture of Granny with Ryan and Ellie. She adored them both beyond words!