The Passing on of a Generation

My great-grandmother passed away yesterday and so today I am reminiscing about her.

She was independent. She lived in her own house until she had a stroke last week.

She was observative. She watched people and was very aware of her surroundings. For the last few years she's had an increasingly difficult time hearing, but even if she didn't hear the exact words in a conversation I don't think she missed a single thing.

We commiserated about being single. She was a widow for 10 years and I was also single for many of those years.

Although she didn't say a lot, I felt that she was aware of and cared about what was going on in my life. At my baby shower she quietly hugged me and acknowledged I had waited a long time for this baby. I am grateful we were able to get five generation photos with her and Sandy this summer.

Her birthday is December 23, and every year on that day her family gathers together for a birthday/Christmas celebration. I've been able to attend several of these celebrations and I hope they'll continue now that she is gone.

Grandma June was my last living great grandparent, and so this is a milestone in my life as well. I've been very blessed to know almost all of my great-grandparents. I even had great-great grandparents when I was born and have two five generation pictures.

How about you, readers? How many generations of your family have you known? Share a memory of one of your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents in the comments.