Grandma

Brad, excellent post.  No doubt she was a great woman.  The world that she left was so different from the one that she came into.  She saw an awful lot in her lifetime!

It's amazing to me that she lived in her own home until she was 99 years old.  Yes, Dad checked on her a couple of times a day and she had lots of help.  But she still worked around the house, pulled weeds in the flower bed, cooked, baked...  I hope that I still have that kind of life at 79, let alone 99.

I mentioned to someone on her funeral weekend that I don't recall her ever speaking a cross word to me.  I'm sure when we were young kids she probably did, because little kids need some parenting, even from the grandparents.  But I honestly cannot remember her or Grandpa John ever speaking crossly to us.  They were always nice to us.  They loved to make us smile, and they were good at it.

I will always remember Grandma's speeches about saving things.  As you mentioned, she was a child of the depression, and to the very end she was convinced that we'll all have to live through another depression.  Maybe she was right.  It's just one of the things I'll remember about her.

I'll also remember sitting in the window on the North side of the house watching for their van on Christmas morning.  We weren't allowed downstairs until they arrived, so we anxiously awaited their arrival.  We were lucky to have them as a part of every Christmas that we ever experienced at home.

In the end, I was amazed by her faith.  She prayed every day to the very end, listened to her pastor preach every single week, and read her bible faithfully.  It's comforting to know that she is now enjoying the fruits of her great faith.

As yet another indication that perhaps I am an adopted child and not a Baldwin by blood, I am perhaps the only person that never really enjoyed her signature item: the apple pie.  It was always too mushy for me, and I prefer my apple pie chunky and crisp.  That's sacrilege I know.  But for me, one of the best things about Grandma is how she always was happy to accommodate everyone's wishes... there were always cookies available for me!  :-)

Rest in peace Grandma... we will always love you and remember you fondly.  The dozens and dozens of family at your funeral is a testament to the impact that you had on all of us.