Grandma Dorothy passed away this morning. She wasn't my biological grandmother, but she was without a doubt a grandmother to me. I have this great picture of Dorothy and me when I was a baby and we're sitting on my parents' old leather couch laughing together. I always wondered what could have made a 6-month old and a 60-something laugh so hard together.
Dorothy and I traveled together, did every holiday and birthday together, shared stories of life dreams and broken hopes and Dorothy always had the best cookies. Oh, and her homemade ice cream was to die for. I know Dorothy had dreams of her own as a young woman, but those were sidelined when she had the opportunity to care for a family, a family that I would become a part of years later. Dorothy spoke German as a little girl, nurtured an amazing flower garden every spring and worked tirelessly for others. I never heard her complain. No what-ifs, could-have-beens or should-have-beens from her. Ever.
I lost both of my biological grandmothers (both amazing women with their own stories) before I became a teen and Grandma Dorothy stepped up and filled in. When I lost my hope as a young woman, Dorothy had love to spare. When I celebrated giant milestones, Dorothy delivered cards with glowing reviews of who I had become. Thing is, I'm fairly certain Dorothy did this with many, many others. But, Dorothy's love wasn't something to check off on a to-do list. It was genuine and so understated that you didn't know the depth of it until it passed over you.
Today, in the midst of my grief, I'm letting that love pass over me one more time.
We were told at the hospice house that Dorothy had the record for number of visitors. The nurses there said they could see the impact this woman had made by the sheer volume of people who came to visit her one last time on earth. They were sure she had to be a celebrity. Funny, Dorothy lived a quiet, humble life but loved and gave everywhere she went.
Grandma Dorothy never judged, and our family gave her plenty of reasons to. She never even commented on any of the despair and bad decisions she witnessed over the years. She loved and loved and loved. And then loved some more. Dorothy had a servant's heart. She never sat back and wondered what she could do. She was always serving others in the background. Today, I know she is at peace and I can't help but believe a giant garden, full of heavenly gladioli, was waiting for her.
My heart grieves for the loss of this woman today, mostly because I know there will never be another Grandma Dorothy for me. Life is short. It's time for me to start living a little more like Grandma Dorothy.
