Thursday, September 26, 2013

Never let it be said...

...that I'm lazy while I'm grieving. I'm one of those people that handles bad news better by focusing my energy on busy work or a project. If I have too much time to think about it, I'm an absolute wreck. I think that's the case for a lot of people.

Back in August, my grandpa Joe (Pap) passed away. It was an especially difficult loss for the whole family. It wasn't a completely unexpected passing as he'd been progressively getting sick for a while, but it was rather sudden. Then early this morning, my Grandpa H lost his 2 year battle with cancer. While also very sad, I'm just so glad to know that he is reunited with my grandmother. Like my Daddy said, they're probably somewhere in the great beyond fishing. But only to make my grandma happy.

So today (and for the next few days), I'm grieving again. I've had a few good cries, then I sucked it up, and got moving. I broke down 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, froze the chicken, and used the bones/scraps for stock. I made, strained, and froze 2 quarts of stock. I got a few errands run. I made dinner and fed my family. I made and packed Charlie's "lunch" for the night. I've folded laundry. I've done a load of dishes. I made dried apple rings. I'm working on apple muffins now. And I think I'll have to vacuum again tonight after Calvin is asleep.

During all of this I had some time to reflect on happy memories. I found that I'm ever grateful for something that I got to share with both of my grandfathers before they passed- my love of cooking. A few years ago, I made a big Italian dinner (spaghetti, sausage, homemade sauce, and homemade meatballs) for my mom's side of the family. I remember making sure not to use too much garlic, because Pap wasn't a fan of garlic. And last year, when Calvin and I went to visit him (and my aunts) in Texas, I cooked dinner for Grandpa H. I made him fried pork chops, corn, and broccoli. I was trying to use up some veggies my aunts had so when I asked him if he liked broccoli he said, "As long as you've got cheese sauce to put on it!". A little cream here, a little butter there, add lots of cheese and ta-da! Cheese sauce. Cooking is such a big part of my life so it helps heal my heart just a little knowing that I was able to cook for both of these special men.

I love them both and will miss them greatly.

Four Generations- Grandpa H, Daddy, me, and Calvin

Pap holding Calvin at 7 days old

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