Grams/Eli

by Carol P.
(Livermore, Ca)

I want to start this by saying I can only hope I'm half the mom-in-law & gramma that Eli was, and I'm going to miss her forever.

The very first time I met this wonderful lady was the day my then-to-be husband told her we were getting married. I had asked him to wait so she could get to know me first, but he was so excited that it just came out. Her response was so easy for her, she said "Welcome to the family". Here I was, a complete stranger and she welcomed me with open arms & and open heart. I started loving her that day.

She never judged my abilities or inabilities as a wife to her son & then as a mom to her grandchildren. She only had good, positive things to say. We loved having her near us.

One of her finest qualities was as our Grams. If you asked her which of her 5 grandkids was her favorite, she would say say them all & she meant it. She treated them all as if they were the most special one! She loved them all so very much & was proud of each and every thing they accomplished. I know she'll be watching them as they graduate law school, play baseball, build houses, get married and have children of their own, and she will be smiling the whole time.

Another quality we loved was her silly sense of humor. At Christmas she'd give her sons special gifts like an old man doll that farts when you pull his finger or the Santa that sat singing on the toilet. She even grave her daughters in law bras made out of candy one year.

The last example of her humor was on the day she passed. We were in the hall, she was on a gurney prepped for the stomach surgery that in the end wouldn't help, and the doctor was asking routine questions. One of them was "Do you know what we are going to do"? & Eli said "Yes, you are gonna remove my ears" and then she smiled.

It is this that I'm going to hold in my memory and in my heart. This is the Eli I so love.