Grandma

I guess when it rains, it pours. My Grandma Niedermuller passed away on February 9, 2008, three days after her 92nd birthday. Grandma had not been feeling well and her death was not completely unexpected. One of the main reasons I made the trip out to California and Oregon was so that I could say goodbye to her. I remember the last time I saw her and how emotional I was when I said goodbye.

As I reflect on her life, I think of all the stories that she used to tell Paul and me. Those of you that knew my grandma, knew her to be a great storyteller. She always had a lot of details in her stories and I enjoyed listening to her tell them. I loved the stories she would tell from her childhood and the depression. It made history come alive for me to know that my family was effected through that time. I also enjoyed the stories she would tell of my daddy when he was little. It was fun to picture him as a boy!

There are a couple of vivid memories I have of Grandma. On is of their home in Redwood City. They had a giant stuffed bunny (I'm not sure exactly how big it was, but by my memory it was around 4-5 feet tall) and I loved to play with it. The bunny was in the office, right behind their dining room. Inside the dining room was a china cabinet filled with dolls. I loved to look at all of grandma's dolls inside. She had the most beautiful dolls and every little girl would have loved them!!

Grandpa and Grandma had a strong love for animals, especially dogs. This was definatley passed on to my Aunt Fran! After Grandpa passed away, their little poodle Buffy went to heaven, too. Grandma quickly got another dog (and another....) and she finally ended up with a poodle named Cindy. Cindy was always with her and Grandma took such great care of her. Grandma taught me a love of animals and to always respect our four legged friends.

An early memory of Grandma took place at our home on Bella Drive. I remember Grandma brushing my long hair before bed. Not being a very patient child, I was just ready to go to bed, but Grandma insisited that she brush my hair before bed. I did not see the good in having nice hair before bed, but now I cherish that memory!

My family has been through a lot this past month, but I seem to have a peace with everything that has happened. I know this peace comes from God. I've been involved in a six week study of the Psalms of the Ascent and we've been discussing a lot about pilgrimage. Our life is a journey - a journey that must come to an end. Unfortunately, Grandma's journey here has come to an end, but her life has really just begun. I'm sure "Billy" is enjoying being with his "Boss Girl."