Some of you may remember this thread that I posted last year about my dream:
My dream last night

Well my grandpa just passed away this past Sunday 9/11. I miss him so much- he was like a father to me- because my dad left when I was just 2. My grandpa is in heaven now- and I look forward to seeing him when God calls me home.

I am soooooooo glad that I made the time to interview him and my grandma last year. My sweet DH editted the footage and condensed it into about a 25 minute DVD that was playing during the visitation.

I found out how they met- they were both actors in their high school plays- who knew?! I found out about their life on the farm, the depression, etc.

My grandma is just in a state of shock and feels so lonely now. They had just celebrated 64 years of marriage. It would have been very difficult to interview her alone- it would be a very sad interview at this point in time. But because I did it when my grandpa was still alive- it was a very happy interview- with many joyous trips down memory lane for both of them.

Please, please, please call your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles- whoever is still alive- and get their story- you'll be glad you did.

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~Laurie Garza~

I am so sorry Laurie. It does sounds like they had a beautiful life together.
Going right now to call my grand parents, they have been married for almost 60 yrs and an inspiration to me my entire life. Thank you for the reminder and will pray for you and your family.

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Dani B.

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so sorry to hear of your loss. my thoughts and prayers are with you and your grandma. Thank you for sharing during this difficult time.

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fran

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Laurie, I am so sorry for your loss, and so happy you have the special memories recorded. Not only did you get the history down that otherwise would have been lost, you also have that very history right there for your grandmother to watch whenever she pleases, which can be a tremendous source of joy and comfort to her.

My 84 year old Mother passed away in April, and I am experiencing both ends of it. When her illness began, she went through a few pictures and things like pieces of jewelry, etc., as I helped them pack to move out of their home of almost 50 years into a retirement community. She wanted to wait a bit until she felt better to go back through things in a manner that I could take notes down. Well, my Mom went downhill rather quickly right after that, and she never had enough energy to go back through everything so that I could write the history down. And now she is gone, along with all the memories she alone had. I'm here, really fighting feeling so guilty that I missed getting the precious stories, the special histories, that made our family who we are.

But now to the other end of the spectrum. My nephew took a bunch of old pictures of my parents growing up, dating, marrying, raising their family over a span of almost 63 years of marriage. He prepared a beautiful DVD for the service, then went back afterwards and added in the service, too. My 89-yr-old Dad watches it often and simply delights in the memories and in the pride of watching the progression of their famiy through the decades. So now I must pick his brain on memories on photos and hope for the best (Mom was the real resource there!) ; I'm afraid on other things, I'm just too late. The best plan -- love on them as much as is humanly possible in your time frame, and enjoy the stories as fully and freely as possible!!

My deepest sympaties for your loss! I know how you feel.

In 1978, I traveled 1000 miles with tape recorder in hand to interview my grandma about her life as a Polish immigrant and all the adventures of her youth. We had a great visit one evening and decided that the next morning we would do the taping. Well, that never happened. She died of a heart attack in the wee hours of the morning.

Don't put off talking to your older relatives. They could be gone in a flash. I'll never again hear her delightful laugh and her beautiful broken English.

Laurie - I'm so sorry for your loss. What an incredible gift you have with that DVD - I hope that gives you comfort during this time.

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Andy
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My dear friend! I am so sorry for your loss...I will be praying for your comfort and peace and for your grandmothers!

Thank you for the reminder to interview them as well

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Wishing you God's comfort and peace at this time of loss. What a blessing it is that you followed your instinct and did your "interview" last year. Thanks for sharing this with us!

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Jodi



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