Mema, farewell!

Mema, aka Edith Dameron, my Dad's mother, has passed away. Mom and Dad are on their way to Maryland to pay their respects and help settle what they can. It is not a pleasant thing to do, but as I have said, the funerals in our lives are not for the dead... They are for the living. A time to say their good byes and make arrangements to cope with the loss they feel. The deceased is, hopefully, in a much better place as we make our way through our grief to the healing part of the process.

Mema was an incredible lady that I admired and loved. I was much older than my siblings, and so my perspective is not as acute as theirs may be, but there are certain things I would like to remember about Gramma D.

• I loved the little apricot cookies she made... Light and tart, but not too sweet. It made eating handfuls of them so easy, until you got the stomach ache!


• Her amazing frosting, that was so very hard to duplicate in Colorado! Mine always came out a little like Spackle, instead of the frothy light confection she would spoon onto cupcakes




• The things she could do with those hands of hers! I learned to tat (lace made with a small shuttle) and crochet after being inspired at her side. She was never idle when I knew her and that was inspiring in and of itself.



• Her sense of humor was infectious! She could be one-liner funny in a way that just had you rolling!


• Mema was patient. She was understanding when I was a teen intent on being sullen over leaving my boyfriend at home on Christmas.... And she knew when I was just being ignorant.


• Mema was strong. I don't recall much complaining when she was well. And the few complaints I did hear about had much to do with not being able to be independent anymore... I do know that frustrated her greatly.


• Mema came from an era that took care of its own. When relatives got sick, you took them in. It was not a burden. It was a duty, and one she shouldered for her own family.


• So many of the things I remember about Mema center around her home. It was quiet and welcoming. It was clean and white and the kitchen was bright and airy. She had the spookiest basement I can ever remember as a child, but she made me go down there anyway!


• I loved the woods behind her home and the coolness of the trees as I walked them with my dad. So much to see and smell and watch!


• I loved the spirit with which Mema lived. There were times she was difficult to please at the end, but her spirit taught me much and helped me hold to my faith when I thought I might just be forced to give up.

I love you Mema! I hope that in this time you are safe and well again. Watching all of us from above and commenting at how it all looks from your perspective now. I cannot think of her in any way but the best way, and to those who cared for her in the end, I thank you for that. I know your memories may not be as pleasant. I do not know the person she was just before her passing. I cannot say I am sad of that. I do know she was an inspiration and a comfort to many. May she enjoy her time in the presence of her Lord. It is well deserved!