My grandmother passed away yesterday Friday 6th of November 2010

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Castout

@Frau well it was harder for me when I saw her suffering in her final days in the end but the loss has left a hole in my heart and my life nonetheless. She was my inspiration too, the kind of person who would put other people first a real gentle and sweet person.

I felt much the same way when my father died - it was hard to lose him, but he had been confined to his bed due to age and illness for some time and even though his spirits were always good I know it had to be very difficult for such a normally active man to be in that condition. He was 80 years old and by all appearances had made his peace with the inevitable and was ready to go... that is some comfort, but it doesn't make me miss him any less.

OTOH, I feel that his influence on me was such that he's always around in one way or another. There are too many things about me that bear his stamp for me to feel that he is totally gone. He lives on not just in my memory but in a great deal of what I do and say and what makes me, me. When someone has been a great influence, I think this is natural and it does not seem to fade over time but grows even stronger and it is a great comfort. I trust you will find that it works the same for you as well.