Memories of Grandma

Today I had the pleasure of looking through some of Grandma Berts treasures and finding some things that I can keep as a remembrance.  But it is more than a remembrance, it is a connection. I feel the connection to her through the things that belonged to her. 

Here is a summary:

Jewelry - I was thrilled to find a peridot ring, as Grandma and I shared this as our birthstone.  I also found several bracelets, a necklace, and a few more rings.  

Santas - Grandma collected Santas.  My Uncle Mike (#11) and Aunt Debbie started her collection by buying her a new Santa every year from the time they got married.  So, I have two standing Santas.

Butter Dish - This is a vintage (I assume) glass butter dish with lid, that is that beautiful purple/blue iridescent glass.  

Ashtray - This item was actually my Grandpa Bill's.  It is a vintage glass ashtray that was given to him as a gift when he retired. His coworkers all signed it, and wrote "We'll miss you Bill" on it. 

Doll - I brought home a doll for Alaina to play with.  It is plastic, so it is safe with her.  But still she'll have to be careful with it, because it is so old. 

Zipper art - I'd never heard of such a thing, and didn't know that my Grandma used to do this. She took apart zippers, and glued them in a design on a piece of board my Grandpa cut for her. Then she filled in the spaces of her design with colored sand and glitter. It is really cool!  

The Letter 'A' - Since my grandma's name was Alberta, she had a few items with the letter A on them.  These were set aside for my cousin Amber and I to choose from.  I have two pins, one of which actually has a photo of Paige in it when she was a baby; and also a pink hankerchief with an embroidered 'A'.  

So, I now have many items to fill my home with the love of my grandmother.  It was a nice experience, and surprisingly didn't cause me grief.  I was just able to focus on her love and my memories of her as I sorted through her belongings.  I'm so blessed to have had her in my life.  

Grandma Bert

My grandmother lived an amazing 83 years and passed away on her favorite day of the year, Christmas Eve.  

Grandma Bert was an incredible woman.  The mother of twelve kids.  Twelve!!  9 boys and 3 girls.  They lived in a small house and the kids shared beds.  The boys had triple stacked bunk beds.  Even with 12 kids to feed, growing up - the kids always had friends dropping over for dinner at the Millers and Grandma always made sure there was enough food for everyone to eat.  

Grandma was spunky, opinionated and loving.  She'd burst into song at any moment.  If during conversation someone said something to remind her of a song, she'd sing a few lines.  It is something I always loved.  While sitting with her in the hospital, the nurse brought her some Milk of Magnesia and told her she needed to drink it to get her bowels rolling.  Grandma started singing... "Rollin, Rollin, Rollin, get those bowels Rollin."  LOL  The nurse and I just died laughing.  

I will miss her dearly, and just feel blessed to have been by her bedside for most of her final hours.  We held a sort of vigil, surrounding her with love during her final days.  I bathed her, and washed her hair.  It felt so good to be able to nurture her in that way, as she has done to so many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  

She leaves behind 10 living children, 26 grandchildren, and 39 great-grandchildren.  With her passing, we've joked that my grandpa, Uncle Ron, and Uncle Darrell now have a fourth to play cards with.  <3