never enough time

My grandmother died today. Lung cancer and it came on quickly; I learned about it one week ago. My mom and her sister were there; my uncles were in the area. They have been together all week. I had planned on seeing her this summer, had steeled myself to the fact that that would be the last time I would get to see her. Things don't always work out. But, she lived her life where she wanted and in the way she wanted. Although the sickness took her more quickly than any of us anticipated, it also meant she never had to compromise on her quality of life. That is admirable.

I asked my mom if my grandmother had said what she wanted for her funeral. Only that she wanted to be cremated. Apparently my grandfather's ashes have been sitting in the closet for 10 years and she left instructions on how she wanted them scattered. My uncle suggested they mix the ashes and scatter them together. This is not what she would have wanted(It was a complicated marriage), and my mom and I laughed at how mad she'd be at all of us if we did that to her. No instead she told my mom that she wanted Bill (my grandfather) to be scattered in the ocean, and she wanted to be scattered on the beach... because she can't swim.