My maternal grandmother is never going to go to home, again. She will never return to the home she lived most of her of 50 years of married life and her 20 years of widowed life in. The home she brought her children home from the hospital to and where she raised her brood of 5. The home where she welcomed her 8 grandchildren in and where she worked on spoiling her 8 great-grandchildren. The home where she loved to invite people to eat and made sure they never left hungry. The home filled with laughter, noise, and loud discussions. The home chalked full of wonderful, happy memories and some sad ones as well. The home she no longer remembers in her Alzheimer's clouded mind. Now, the only home she remembers is the one of her childhood and life with her parents and 9 brothers.
Her children made the painful decision a few months of ago to sell the house, but have been slow to implement. It was just hard for the to face and decide how to deal with all the stuff that comes with many years of living. However, a ray of light came in an unexpected form. One of my grandmother's great-grandson (my oldest nephew) asked if he and his brother (also my nephew) could possibly start renting the house. He is almost 22 years old, has a full-time with benefits, and is ready to leave the nest. His brother is just out of basic training and schooling for the Army Reserves and is also ready to leave the nest. After a discussions with my mother and her siblings, they decided to rent it to them.
Now they are facing the daunting task of clearing out the house. Some of the furniture has been claimed, but some will remain. That left all of the other items of life to do something with. They opened up the house last Saturday for the grandchildren and great-grandchildren to come, take a look at all the stuff filled with memories, and take home some things to be a reminder of the grandmother we all love.
It was bittersweet looking through those things, things that brought to mind sweet, wonderful memories. As we looked and choose, we reminisced and shared memories. It was hard and my mother and her siblings were overwhelmed with it. They had been working for almost a week before and are still working to clear everything out so my nephews could move in by the first of November.
Most endings are sad, but in this case it has been made even sadder by the pernicious nature of Alzheimer's. For me, I think the death of my grandmother would have been easier to handle. Alzheimer's has slowly been stealing her form us for years now until she no longer even knows who we are. Yet, even with this sad ending, a bright new beginning is on the horizon for my nephews.
They are ready to move on to the next stage of their lives. They are to ready to start making a home for themselves. They are grown up and both have girlfriends they are serious about. Their lives are just beginning and the future is theirs for the taking. The renting arrangement could even turn in to a possibility of renting to own.
If my grandmother could understand what was going on, she would be happy to know that her home was going to be rented to two of her great-grandchildren. She would be glad to see her once happy home be filled with new memories to treasure by some of the family members she loves.
"Every end is just a new beginning
A chapter closed, but always printing
All memories earned in pain and laughter
One book to be closed, but a quest to be after.
If life is a cable and hope is the wheel
And love is the arrow in the Achilles' heel
One line was cut yet the thread is still spinning
For every end, hope delivers a new beginning
No need for words, goodbyes, or sorrow
There is never forever, but only tomorrow
When all doors close and we choke with despair
A new day brings open windows and fresh air
At the end of the road, on the edge of the earth,
I continue with purpose for all that it's worth
I take a leap forward, jump into the dark
There can never be an end when there's life in my heart."
A chapter closed, but always printing
All memories earned in pain and laughter
One book to be closed, but a quest to be after.
If life is a cable and hope is the wheel
And love is the arrow in the Achilles' heel
One line was cut yet the thread is still spinning
For every end, hope delivers a new beginning
No need for words, goodbyes, or sorrow
There is never forever, but only tomorrow
When all doors close and we choke with despair
A new day brings open windows and fresh air
At the end of the road, on the edge of the earth,
I continue with purpose for all that it's worth
I take a leap forward, jump into the dark
There can never be an end when there's life in my heart."
Poem by: Just Sierra
Living life simply and simply living!
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