Temporary Good-bye

My grandmother- Delores "Dee-Dee" Vargo - passed away this week. And though I'm saddened in the way the death makes us sad because it's final. I'm mostly comforted in knowing that she lived a full, long, and extraordinary life. Instead of falling into grief, I am embracing the memories and the wonderful amazing person she was.

My grandmother knew how to laugh at life. And when you were around her, you couldn't help but laugh as well. She touched everyone around her, and I remember the way her smile just lit your soul.

While other grandmas baked cookies and knitted sweaters. My grandmother could do neither. The cookies would have been charcoal and the sweater would have had been for an octopus. But what she could do was color some awesome princesses, put on a play, play dress up, slam down some brews, play a mean hand of old maid, teach you how to dance cheek to cheek, sing you to sleep with Mr. Sandman, show you the thrill of a roller coaster, watch old classics like "Gone With the Wind" and than reenact it with you, and give you dating advice such as date a boy even if you don't like him, he may have friends. These are just among many reasons that made her so unique and amazing.

I am lucky to have so many wonderful memories of my grandmother. And because Ally and Jack are so small, they will unfortunately not have the chance to know her. But I look forward to sharing the memories I have of her with them. That though they will only know her through a second hand experience, that they will know her.

This week, her children and grandchildren will gather, and as I see it, celebrate her life through stories. We will laugh through our tears, at the lifetime of memories and the lessons she taught us. And though the finality of death has taken her from this world, she will live on forever in our hearts and memories.

So I will not say goodbye, but instead- see you later.