Runs Out of Rain

On behalf of the family I want to thank everyone who attended my grandmother's funeral. The large attendance was a testament to the woman my grandmother was. To those of my friends who did not have the chance to meet my grandmother I wanted to leave some words in hopes you may get to know her.

I am sure everyone there has their own stories about what my grandmother meant to them.

Some may have remembered her days as a flapper, sporting a bobbed haircut and dancing to the latest musical craze.

My grandma was a bit scandalous, how cool is THAT?!?

Many may have remembered her fabulous smile as one of her sheep, thier lamb, won yet another ribbon at the Nez Perce County Fair.

WE remember her as the backbone of the Andrews family.

Hilma Irene Andrews was strength and independence before I knew what those words meant. After her husband Leo died in 1979 she raised kids, grand kids, corn, and sheep all on her own.

I am the last of the granddaughters, raised around four male cousins and one brother, and I cannot be more proud of this legacy.

She may have failed to teach me how to play the piano, but she did succeed in teaching me how to live my life and not be defined by the men in it. For that, I say "thank you" and "I love you".

Grandma Hilma was strong in faith, body, and mind.

She was most proud of our Swedish heritage. In the basement of the United Methodist Church she dressed first my cousin, Leeann, and then me in a white robe and red sash. She then adorned our heads in a wreath of white candles in celebration of St Lucia.

The wreath was SO heavy and scratchy!!

Thank goodness when it was my turn she found an electric wreath! The poor cousin before me wore candles of melting wax!

Regardless of our comfort level, for Grandma, we read the story of St Lucia and handed out saffron rolls to churchgoers after mass.

It wasn't only those saffron rolls she could cook. I am most thankful she taught my father how to cook vegetables. In fact, on days I am particularly homesick I search for recipes she made when we were kids, such as her favorite Impossible Taco Pie.

Her recipe book was Pinterest before Pinterest. She loved to find new recipies and try them out oun her family. Just like Pinterest recipes there is occasionally a fail. Hilma's fail was her attempt at what I THINK was polenta. Let me just say, NO amount of apricot jelly could save that mushy dish, but FreightTrain, SandPile and I finished ours, for Grandma.

As she fed our bodies she also led as an example of what living an active lifestyle can do. Up until August of her 88th year she fed the sheep on her own every day. During our summers living in the house at 433 Thain Rd she never stopped moving. She understood, and taught us to understand, work never ceases needing done, so why stop doing it.

She not only exercised her body, she exercised her mind. If someone were to ask me to say the first word that comes to mind when I think of our grandmother I would say "crossword".

Hilma LOVED her crossword puzzles. Her kitchen was always full of crossword clue books. Every time Shane and I went for a visit she would be sitting at the kitchen table slaving over that morning's crossword. I'm proud to say that is a habit I picked up a few years ago. She claimed that was how she fought off Alzheimer's, because she constantly used her brain.

I tell these stories as a way to allow you inside the life of a woman we all knew and loved. I also tell them to illustrate the impact she had on my life. I am the woman I am today in part because of her. The model she provided was irreplaceable.

There will be an empty chair at our Christmas morning breakfast table this year, and she will be missed more than some of us can fully express.

I hope her family and friends are able to take solace in the fact she is finally at peace. Her body and mind were tired from all that exercise and she earned a long nap.

FreightTrain told me his view of Heaven is saying good things about someone after they've passed and never forgetting the lessons they taught. If that is Heaven I am sure Hilma is there right now, as the last few days have been spent sharing and retelling stories of her life.

Keep her spirit alive by smiling at strangers, and never stop moving. Don't stop moving your body and never ever stop moving your mind.

If you take a nip of spirits this holiday season, and your nose starts to tingle, know that is Hilma saying goodbye in her own little way.

Inspiratation song, Runs Out of Rain by Gary Allen

I realize this is an odd choice for an inspiration song, but I couldn't help feeling it appropriate as her body finally ran out of pain.