Grandma's 100th Birthday

Today is my grandmother's birthday. If still on this side of the veil of tears, she would be 100 years old. I was trying to tell my youngest this morning who she was.
He has no memory of his greatgrandmother as she died when he was only 9 months old. And one of the saddest things to me is that at the very end of her life, although I think she always knew who I was, she didn't always appear to recognise my youngest when we visited.

I didn't expect the tears to fall this morning when speaking of her to my youngest child. They surprised me after 8 years of her being gone. Grief does creep up and bite you when you least expect it.

My children born in the middle all have memories of their greatgrandmother; but my first born, like my last born, has no memory of her. Since my reunion with my son, I have begun to have the opportunity to relay to him who she was. My first born was the child that I and my whole family lost to adoption. And when I have had the opportunity to explain to him what my gradmother was like, I have always made the point very clear to him that my grandmother never forgot him. My grandmother always kept his newborn hospital picture on her bedroom dresser. I found in still sitting her on her dresser while taking care of her things after her death. She was the only one of my family members who was not afraid to keep a picture of him in her home; to keep him present among us. And for that, I love her even more dearly.

My grandmother was a seamstress who made and altered her own clothes. And she was a breast cancer survivor and out of necessity altered each of her dress and blouse sleeves. The mastectomies left her arms always terribly swollen. The fabrics she chose to wear were bright and very busy. She always let me know that she thought my conservative, subdued color choices were less than appealing. As for my grandmother's fashion statements, think 60's paisleys in lime greens and cotton candy pinks!

So today, on Grandma's 100th birthday, I will begin a new quilt in her memory. I have found the most perfect fabrics for this quilt; patterns I might have found hanging in her extensive walk in closet. And I will sew them into an Irish chain quilt in honor of my "I'm 100% Irish and proud of it!" grandmother.