Goodbye Grandma McClellan...And Farewell To Union

Well, I suppose it's worth a little time to update those who read my recent blog about my Grandma, and might be wondering how she's doing. She passed away on Saturday, August 22nd at the age of 95. She went peacefully and relatively quick. Of course, we all expected it at any moment and the Hospice nurse pretty much had narrowed it down to the last few minutes. So it was no surprise and in my opinion, I think that makes it a little easier. Although, I would say death is never easy for those who are left behind. I have a lot of memories of all my grandparents, even though both of my grandpas went when I was relatively young. It's interesting, too, because I don't have any bad memories of them.

Oh, I'm sure I pushed their buttons the wrong way on many occasions, yet I don't remember any bad moments with any of them. That must be the sign of a good grandparent. The thing I think remember most about my Grandma McClellan was that I could joke around with her about anything; and I mean anything. As she got older, she became a grouchy old lady more and more, but I could always make her laugh. And she did a good job of making us laugh, too. I'll miss that.

Anyways, her funeral will be this coming Saturday, and we will be in attendance, of course. She will be buried next to my grandpa in Union Oregon, where all four of my grandparents' mortal bodies will rest till the Resurrection. For me this will be a farewell in more ways than one. That's because it will more than likely be the last trip I will make to the tiny town of Union, Oregon. Now that I no longer have family there, I don't foresee another trip there in the future. Of course, I could be wrong, but realistically, this is probably it.

Union has a lot of special memories for me, because it always meant visits to both of my grandparents' houses, plus that is where we got to know and love our cousins. And of course it was the home of the annual Livingston Family Reunion for more than 30 years. It will be sad to say goodbye. I think I could write volumes on my memories of trips to Union. There have been so many to that little town of around 2000-2500 people that there are too many to even start writing them down. But looking back, those trips and things that happened in that town really helped shape my childhood.

So when we pull out of there next weekend, I will kind of be saying goodbye to an old friend and to a piece of my childhood. I will still have the memories, though, and that is really what life's experiences - and life itself - are all about. We live them, we enjoy them (or not), and then we move on to what life brings next. However, we learn from them by remembering them. And in the end, life is really just a big book of memories. Whether or not that book is good reading or not, is really up to us. So this weekend it will be time to write another chapter in that book of memories as our family reunites in Union, Oregon. There will be tears and there will be laughs. And of course, as my Grandma's mortal book ends, we will all be adding another cherished chapter to our ongoing stories. As for my book, I know this weekend will make for some good reading down the road. Goodbye Grandma, and thank you for leaving me some good chapters.