Clara Mae Simons (Aug 25, 1914 - Jan 22, 2011)

Natalie and I went to bed at 11:30 last night.  Neither of us slept very well.  There was a pit in my stomach the size of a small watermelon.  As I tossed, the melon turned as if to continually make it’s presence known.    Even the quiet comfort of Grandma’s bed couldn’t lull me to sleep.

At 1:30am I heard Grandma’s phone ring.  Grandpa’s footsteps downstairs were faint as he walked to the phone.  I knew my phone would ring momentarily.   I don’t remember what my mother said to me, but the words weren’t necessary.  I knew why she was calling.  Great Grandma’s time was coming.

She passed this morning at the age of 96.   While her memory was fading — she surely wouldn’t know me if she saw me — my memory of her will last forever.

She lived to see some amazing things, through some awesome times.  She was 15 years old when the stock market crashed.  She was 25 when Hitler sent 1.5 million troops to invade Poland.   She never drove a car, but if she had it probably would have been a Model T.  Perhaps her teenage years were spent with her hair in a bob, wearing a vibrant skirt and dancing The Charleston.

But she never spoke of those times.  Instead she spoke of family and friends.  She beamed a loving smile in everyone’s direction, even when she couldn’t remember who they were or why she loved them… she just did.

In the end, it’s not the journey of your life that was important, it’s the people you bring along with you.

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  1. whatheightsoflove reblogged this from joshwalsh and added:
    My brother wrote...beautifully joshwalsh:
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