Granny wasn't my grandmother.
She was my aunt's mother-in-law. In ordinary families, I would never have known her.
I've always known her. She was a fixture at my cousins' birthday parties, and included in any get-together my aunt hosted. We saw her several times a year. Now that my cousins' families have grown, we saw her more. She was almost like another grandmother.
I remember when I was about 8 years old, my mother went into labor with my baby sister. She spent three days in the hospital. Granny and Mr. Schlein (her husband...he was still with us then) came and picked Rhonda and me up from school. I remember thinking it was odd that they were the ones who came, but I had no idea anything was wrong. She took us back to her house, and we spent the afternoon playing with my cousin and having a wonderful time. My own grandmother...along with the rest of my family... was at the hospital with my mom. My baby sister died the next day.
Granny always asked how we were doing. If my children weren't around, she'd ask about them. Once, not so very long ago, she invited us to her home for Christmas, and made sure we had presents under the tree.
When I started selling jewelry late last year, Granny bought a pretty black and silver bracelet from me. A little over two weeks ago, at a baby cousin's birthday, she stopped me to show me that she was wearing it. "Look!" she said in her soft, childlike voice. "Isn't that pretty?"
Granny went in for a hip replacement yesterday. My mom went to see her before she went into surgery, and stayed with the family for hours until the doctor delivered unbelievable news: Granny's heart just couldn't take it.
We are still in shock. She was an amazing woman, and she will be sorely missed.
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