In Loving Memory of Grandma Hatt

 

How can you possibly write out all your feelings and memories toward a grandmother who has shared your life for over thirty years?  I guess you can’t.  Sitting in the kitchen today at mom’s house we all discussed what fond memories we have of Grandma.  Probably the fondest and most memorable ones are from when we were kids, as we seemed to spend more time with Grandma back then.  Grandma was after all, the only one mom and dad would trust to look after their girls when they went out on evenings or away on trips.  I think that says a lot for how good of a caregiver she really was & how much she loved us and loved spending time with us.  Some of the great memories from these babysitting times would be her cautious driving (right turns only!) while we were in her car, McDonald’s dinners on our way to/from gymnastics (as if she didn’t see through our assurances that this was standard fair for us with mom and dad!), watching Dallas and Loveboat with her, her special after school snacks she would prepare for us, & her different desserts she would make us (you know, different from mom’s).  I suppose she, like so many before and after, just wanted to make her grandkids happy and perhaps spoil them a bit while she could.

 

Of course we have other great memories we share of our time spent with Grandma that include mom and dad – like trips up to the Bruce to visit Grandma Shaw and family gatherings at her house on Montye Ave.  With its distinctive smell, and that fabulously interesting basement that we spent hours playing in, Grandma’s house holds many memories for us all.  Those red dutch shoes were worn by all Grandma’s grandkids and now they reside in Shelly’s daughters room where she will very soon get to also enjoy!  Grandma loved to drink tea and loved having us over for tea & cookies where we could scoop in as much sugar into our teas as we wanted and wait for the birdie in the coo-coo clock to come out.  When we got older Grandma’s role in our lives changed.  She lent all of us her car whenever we required it – in fact lending it to Andrea & Shelly on separate occasions for weeks/months at a time.  I believe she would have done anything for us.  I have a fond memory of dancing with Grandma at Shari & Terry’s wedding, she was so shy it was quite a feat to get her out on that dance floor.  She was so proud of all her grandchildren, and loved getting pictures of us to display in her house.  She also loved to get updates on what all her grandchildren were doing in their lives.  She was one of the kindest and most gentle people I have ever known. 

 

As a person grows older and becomes weak and ill, it is hard to adjust to a different type of relationship that ensues.  Shifting from recipients of her care, to providers of her care, well being and life enrichment was difficult to say the least for everyone in Grandma’s life.  We all took comfort in knowing that our visits brightened her days and gave her new faces to look upon or stories to listen to.  She especially seemed to enjoy seeing her great grandkids as so often people do love to see little kids running around, their innocence and happiness is such a breath of fresh air for adults, probably more so for seniors.  We know her last few months must have been difficult for her to endure, as they were for us too.

 

She will be missed by us all so much but we are comforted in knowing that she is in a better place now.

 

With love always,

Lisa, Andrea & Shelly