I'll miss you Grandma

My Grandmother passed away 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go home for her services last week. In fact all 30 of her Grandchildren were there from all over the country. Quite a testament! She had been dealing with dementia for many years and we lost focus on who she was, so it was great to reminisce about what a Great Grandmother and Mother she truly was. She was the only Grandmother I ever knew and couldn't have been more fit for the job. I am thankful that my own mother has the goodness of her mother and will be that vision for my own kids. I will truly miss her. And can only hope I could be half the person she was and lucky enough to live to 94. (94 and a mother of 10!) I also have to include the beautiful Eulogy that my sister wrote and was brave enough to read at her funeral mass. We contributed the best way we knew how- by designing the program. Thanks for your help Kyle, it was perfect.

Eulogy by Carrie Bolshaw
Grandma Breen was our rock. Our true north, and the calm you knew was coming after the storm. She was the anchor that never let your boat drift out to sea. For all of us, she was this and more;

She was pure,
She was honest,
She was strong,
She was humble,
And most of all, she was loving.

We have all spent the past week remembering and sharing our stories. Some we’re hearing for the first time, others we could recite word for word. In all of them, we learned more about a woman we love deeply.

Like how you would open her front door at any time and be greeted with the smell of fresh baked bread. Or how she sang the Irish lullaby to calm and comfort all of us and our children. She kept us warm with her hand-sewn quilts; her love was in every stitch.

Grandma Breen had an infectious laugh. She would giggle until tears filled her eyes, and when you looked around - everyone was laughing with her.

We remember piling into her house on Christmas; how condensation would collect on the windows as the snow fell outside. She wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would we.

She was there for our birthdays, first communions, baptisms, graduations and weddings. She attended our concerts, our plays, and our sports. Grandma committed herself to attending our lives, and we are all better for it. Each of us knew that we were her favorite.

She never wanted more than she had, and she was thankful for all she was given.

And so as we come together today, we know that grandma Breen is in everyone one of us. The things she taught us we now teach our children, and hope they in turn teach theirs. Because of this, we know she will live on forever.