My Grandma, Mary Kenney

Mary Kenney
January 3, 1920-January 6, 2010

Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

My Grandma passed away on January sixth, three days after her ninetieth birthday. We knew it was coming, nothing unexpected but still losing someone so important in your life is never easy...even when you know it is going to happen soon. I was not able to go to her funeral which is actually going on as I type this. At the time I would have been planning for the trip the weather was awful and roads not so good. And it would be too much to just pack and go with a four year old and a new baby...I need more planning than that--so after much thought and talking to my parents I made the decision not to go. I hate missing it. Funerals were very important to her but life was even more important and making that drive in that weather would not have been safe.

I can't say enough about my Grandma and what an AMAZING person she was in my life and the lives of so many others. The picture with my Grandpa is of he and I and I'm wearing one of my Grandma's old dresses.
My sister is reading a little something I wrote at the funeral since I could not be there in person.

Here is what I wrote:

I wish I could be there with you all as you say Good-bye. But I’m sure that my Grandma understands my absence and I know that she would want there to be lots of smiles and laughter of the memories she’s left behind for all of us, just as she was always laughing her amazing, contagious laugh and enthusiastic, one-of-a-kind snort.

I’m not exactly sure where to start, and truth be told I could write a book about my Grandma, the memories I have with her and the many ways she changed the world in which I live. She is a part of nearly all my most treasured memories. My Grandma taught me so much about life just by the way she lived hers. Friends she was not short of, and it’s no wonder—she lit up any room she entered and was such a vibrant, social, and loving person. We were always having fun playing endless hands of old maid, or Hi-ho cherry-O, playing ball in her backyard, or ‘cutting up’ (as she called it) with our late night giggling and burping contests [much to the chagrin of my Grandpa who would yell from the other room to “settle down and go to bed!”]. She always made time to make these memories with me and didn’t let the little, meaningless tasks in life take priority, as we often do so much of these days—losing sight, sometimes, of the what really matters in life. She taught me it’s the time with your faith, your family, and your friends that last forever in your heart and mind.

When I was little she taught me how to pray and that Jesus is always listening and always there for us, when things are hard, but especially when things are good. My Grandma taught me to be thankful that we have been blessed with this beautiful gift of life. When my family moved to Indiana, even as a nine year old, I understood I was moving away from one of the most amazing people in my life. But she reassured me she would be just a prayer away...as I would be for her. I think my easily frightened, four year old daughter, Alex, put it so perfectly when she said, “Mom, I don’t have to be scared anymore because Jesus and Great Grandma are up in Heaven watch’n on me…keeping me safe”. “That’s right” I said...And she IS exactly right. My Grandma is now, more than ever, just a prayer away.

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My memories with her will never ever be far in my mind. This earth has lost an amazing soul. She is no longer suffering as she has not been 'herself' for quite some time now. She was always so full of life and knew everyone and everything going on. She was never too tired to do anything. Life made her happy, her family made her happy, and most importantly her Faith made her happy. She will be missed very much...very very much. When you have kids everyone tells you to enjoy it because they grow so fast. But the truth is it's life that goes so fast. Perhaps there is something to take away from the death of someone so loved, it's that life is precious, it is short, and it is such an amazing gift and there is really and truly no time to waste.