Celebrating Two Beautiful Lives

Eleanor Elizabeth Bucher

April 23, 1908 - December 25th, 2008

So for those of you who read my blog I am sorry to say that this post will not be a bright and cheery one by any means...I woke up on Christmas morning to my mom calling me to tell me that my darling grammy had gone to heaven. Amazingly she only was apart from her hubby for 5 days before she passed. My mom was brave and told me not to be upset. We had been able to prepare some for her passing as she had been mostly asleep since grandpa's death and they had been giving her morphine for her pain. Even so, being prepared still does not make it any easier to accept. I can only say that they had an amazingly long life together and I am so happy they were able to share in such important milestones in my life. Tomorrow I leave for Indiana for the joint funeral where they will be laid to rest together. It will be a time to celebrate life of course, however, I know the tears will flow when I stand up to speak about how much they meant to me. Last night Dustin and I went with his parents to see the new movie "Marley and Me" and I boo hoo'ed like a little girl- not really so much about the movie, but the emotion from the movie got me going...again.

I found this poem by David Harkins and it moved me...

You can shed tears that they've gone,

Or you can smile because they have lived.
You can close your eyes and pray they'll come back,

Or you can open your eyes and see all they have left behind.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see them,

Or your heart can be full of the love you've shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember them and grieve that they've gone,

Or you can cherish their memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,

Or you can do what they'd want; Smile, wipe away the tears, love and journey on.