The moon will make sure we get home

It was weird this morning, after I got out of the shower I picked up my cell phone for some reason and it said I had two messages.

Typically I know when someone calls (it’s either The Boyfriend or The Best Friend) and if I talk to them I don’t check messages for a few days, because I know what kind of message they left for me “Gurl, it’s me, I’m drunk, call me”

I thought well I’ve got free minutes let’s clear the voicemail. Message #1 was from The Boyfriend, last night, Message #2 was from my Dad, this morning.

My Dad never calls me, well I should say very rarely calls me, we have a GREAT relationship but we’re not much on the phone, that’s my Mom and I.

My Dad left a message that my grandmother had passed away this morning at 10:10 EST

I knew this day would be coming, but I had not anticipated it this quickly. In the back of my mind I kept telling myself, she’s going to be around for a while. So when I listened to the message I was a bit stunned. The sound of my Dad’s voice was the worst part of it, he made it all the way to the end and then just said “Ok, well give us a call” as he was trying to hold it all in.

My Dad’s parents both died in the early 70’s so this has really been “his Mom” for the last 30 years

I stumbled around the apartment for a few minutes, trying to put things into perspective, trying to figure out what needed to be done. I dialed my parents phone and my sister answered. Because of caller ID she knew it was me so she answered the phone “Michael-head” (that’s a nickname that goes all the way back to First Grade). She told me that they had gone to my Gram’s last night and said that she looked terrible, for the first time my sister said “she looked like an old woman” My sister almost started to cry on the phone, which really threw me. I held it together though.

I then talked to my Mom and she said how my Grandfather was being a major dickhead and would not let a Chaplin in the house, so much that he was banging on the table saying “not in my house.” We’re not religious people but my Mom wanted a prayer said for my grandmother, so she and a friend went over last night and they said a silent prayer for her and my mother told me that she had the chance to tell Grammy goodbye and that it was ok to go, she said the she really wanted to tell her that her Father (my Gram’s first husband who died in 50’s) would be there but my asshole of a grandfather wouldn’t give them any privacy. I am SO GLAD that my Mom had the chance to do that.

So I’m jumping on a plane tomorrow and going home for the funeral.

Meanwhile, my parents are having a big pig roast this afternoon. Quickly, my parents own a Modular Home Village (aka The Trailer Park) and they have about 60 people that own houses/rent in their park, and every year they have a big Roast to say thanks to the tenants. My Mom told my Grandmother that she was going to cancel the Roast because she wanted to be with her, and Gram told her “Don’t Cancel That Party.” So they’re not canceling

Things that remind me of my Grandmother

• a rubber snake that I bought when I was 6 years old and used to tease her with


• a coffee mug that she bought for me. That way when I stayed at their house I had a “big cup” to drink out of. It’s a Snoopy mug with Snoopy sitting on his doghouse and it’s snowing, on the back it says “I hate it when it snows on my French Toast.” I know it’s so stupid but isn’t that how you are when you’re young.


• Pickled Cabbage


• Stove Top Stuffing


• French Toast


• My Grandparents lived about 15 miles from us while we were growing up and lots of times I would go spend the weekend with them. One time when we were traveling from my house to her house it was on an evening of a full moon, it was a little later than normal because Gram didn’t like to drive at night. As we were walking to the car she said “Oh great, it’s a full moon, the moon will make sure we get home ok.” I told her I didn’t believe her and she said, “well you watch, I bet the moon will follow us home and make sure we get there ok.” The entire way home I watched the moon, keeping an eye on it’s progress, it would hide behind clouds or a bunch of trees or hide behind a hill, but it kept following. When we got there I pointed to the moon and I said “Look Gram, it followed us.” She looked up and said “Oh yes it surely did” and she raised her hand and waved at the moon and said “Thank You”

I am sad that the world is now one more person short, but I am glad that I have had the opportunity to know and learn from her.

I'll miss you Grammy.