saying good bye

I went to say good bye to my grandma in North Dakota. My mom, dad and I took the long (26 hours!!) train ride back last week. It was a beautiful ride and due to all the flooding, we practically had the whole train to ourselves. We even had our own private wine and cheese tasting in the sleeper car. It was a pretty special ride and a nice way to prepare for what was ahead.

It was a trip I will hold dear to my heart forever. My grandma is living in a nursing home where they take absolutely amazing care of her. The nurses and their assistants are some of the most wonderful people I have ever met, so caring and patient, and they have such a great sense of humor, which my grandma just loves. They have a ‘happy hour’ at the nursing home and we went to listen to the music and have a glass of wine, we watched the news, talked, and learned new stories about my grandma’s amazing life. There were always visitors coming and going and the phone was always ringing. My grandma is such a social person and has so many great friends. I am so thankful for my grandma and thankful I was able to say good bye. She has lived a great life and holds a special place in so many people’s hearts.

The town that my grandparents live in is facing the worst floods they have in years. The whole time we were there, people were filling sand bags to place around their homes and businesses to protect them from the water. It was a site I have only seen on the news. I talked to some kids who had been let out of school to help fill sand bags, they were pretty scared for their families and working hard to protect everything they have.