Cherry Blossoms & Cheerios: Gram

Well this post isn't exactly what I had planned so early in my blog but perhaps that is just the way God works. Colin left on cruise this past Monday. A welcomed delay as he was scheduled to leave on three days earlier on Valentine's Day but still, delays or no delays, deployments are never easy. Elin and I dropped him off at the ship at 6am, said our goodbyes, gave kisses and hugs. With this being his first deployment in four years, we were re-learning all the mixed emotions that go with it. Elin gave him a big smile and kiss and blew him another kiss goodbye. It was a big day for Elin too. Her first day of school. I enrolled her in Hoikuen, Japanese day care so we had to get home and prepare for that. As we were getting ready to head out the door the phone rang. It was my mom and the first words out of her mouth were "Well, I have some news." I knew right away, my Grandma Friberg had passed away.

9/10/17 ~ 2/16/14

Grandma, or Gram as she was affectionately called, was 96 years old and more or less the only grandparent I knew for most of my life. My grandfathers passed away before I was born and my Nana Barker passed when I was 10. I visited Gram on her Northern Wisconsin farm every summer growing up and even more often while I was attending college in Minnesota. A mother of five, grandmother of thirteen and great-grandmother of eight, she retired from her job as a cook at the senior center at the age of 85. She loved cooking for the "old people" almost as much as her extended family who stopped by the farm everyday at 5 o'clock for coffee and a cookie or cinnamon bun. She hosted a full Sunday dinner after church for as long as I can remember. Sometimes there were as many as 30 people crammed into her farmhouse for pot roast, mashed potatoes and jello salad. And pie. Always pie. Everyone loved her cooking and rarely missed a chance to enjoy it. The most humble lady I've ever known, she was more comfortable making sure others were taken care of than with any acknowledgement that might result from her actions. Despite for her distaste with having her picture taken, she was incredibly photogenic and loved hugs from her grand babies.

My shy Swedish Grandma

Meeting Elin for the first time!

I agonized all day trying to decide if I should make two day trip to Wisconsin for the funeral. I calculated the timing of the bus rides, connecting flights, 7 hour drive north from Chicago but when I came down with the same cold that Elin had and looked at the impending blizzard that was due to hit the midwest, I decided to stay back, despite the sweet encouragement from Colin to go and be with my family. Despite knowing it would have been a rough trip for a toddler who doesn't sleep on planes or in cars (read here if you want a taste of our trip to Japan) I regret not going, it was my chance to see Gram for the very last time. I've been talking with everyone a few times a day to get through the week. I know Gram lived an incredibly long and very full life and she touched more people than I'll ever know. She was the glue who kept the family intact.

I'm looking forward to hearing about the memorial service scheduled at Bethlehem Lutheran Church and all the stories everyone plans to share at the reception tomorrow. Gram will be severely missed but I plan to share many stories with Elin about her Great Gram so that she can understand what a great person she really was. Elin had the chance to meet Gram twice. Once last April, and another last October. They had a wonderful time cuddling with each other. There is something about babies and old folks, they go well together. Perhaps it is because they see the simplicities in life, something those of us in the middle are too busy to notice.