Memoir
Luvme Always
It was a cold rainy night, and on this night of nights my mom sister and I were packing what little we had left into the small car, getting ready to take the long trip back to Maine from Virginia. I was to young to know what was going on because I was only seven, but what I did know was I was leaving, again, and something big was headed my way, as we began our long journey bavk to Maine and I fell asleep and dreamt of the possibilitys.
When we finally got back to Maine the next day we gathered our things and walked into a big white and green house. When we arrived there was a woman there to greet us. She was wearing a frilly, pink, nightgown with little yellow flowers and fuzzy pink slippers as well. My mom told me this was my Grandma and we were going to live with her until we could find a house of our own. I wasn't sure what a Grandma was but I went with it.
At the time my mom was pregnant with a little boy. We were so excited! (At least Mom and Grandma were, again I didn't know what pregnant meant.) My Grandma wanted my Mom to name him Chris, but mom liked the name Devon better.
Later I got used to Grandma, she was great! She used to love giving my sister and I rides on the riding lawn mower. Liz and I liked it too! We loved the wind in our faces. We were only six and seven then, so we enjoyed it. Grandma was very religious and went to church every Sunday. She read the bible every night. She also enjoyed yard sales and thrift stores. I guess she taught my Mom the same. I remember she used to love to watch Soap opras, “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Price is Right”! We used to like to guess the prices with them, and also tell who we wanted to win! She liked it when I brushed her hair. I liked it too. She also loved her dogs, Boss and Buddy. then when Buddy died, Sherlock. We would all play on the floor with them and give them treats. It was fun!
Then one day Grandma got sick, I was now eight and my sister would soon turn seven. We took her to the hospital. The doctors said she had lung and brain cancer, but their wasn't much they could do. They put her on oxygen and medication and said to hope for the best. I was still too young to understand what it all meant. I didn't know what cancer was, but my mom did, and she was scared enough for all of us. Grandma wasn't Moms real mom though she was married to my Moms dad for a while, but when my Moms dad (I don't call him Grandpa) kicked her out Grandma was there to take her in until she was on her feet. She had done that a couple of times for my mom and many other people, that's what she was known to do. So my mom called her Mom, and I called her Grandma.
A few months later we found a house for rent in Newport just 7 miles away! It was very colorful on the inside with blues green and pinks I liked it! The outside coat was a light blue like I had never seen before. It was a great house. At this point my Mom was seven months pregnant and still had her heart set on the name Devon.
The doctors had taken Grandma in over night to see how she was doing. It didn't go to well so they transferred her to the Bangor Eastern Maine Meadical Center. One day we went to visit her. I enjoyed it a lot. I seem to remember her hospital room, though I was to young to know the room number. I remember it was painted a pale, yellow white and had a big sink over in the corner. Grandma called me over to share her chocolate pudding with me. When I finished the pudding I spotted a big window, I looked outside from the 8th floor and the view was beautiful. There were big railroad tracks that seemed to go on forever I also saw a big bird flying over the biggest, most beautiful body of water I had ever seen! From that day on I called it “pretty blue water!”
On August 10, 2004 Mom was due to have the baby any day. Then, that night, the unthinkable happened. Grandma died in the middle of the night. This was especially sad to Liz because it was five days before her birthday and it was supposed to be happy times. “Of all times for this to happen,” she used to say. We were all upset. My mom gave Liz and I each pictures of her so that we would always remember her, and she would always be with us. I put mine under my pillow, this way she would be with me when in sleep, and I could have happy dreams.
Then August 20, 2004 my little brother was born. Mom decided since my brother had never gotten to even meet his grandma, she would respect my grandmother's wishes and name him Christopher. I guess it doesn't help that he came out handicaped, But we don't care. Chris was, is, and always will be in remembrance of my Grandma and what she stood for. My grandmother, Jean Clifford died August 10th 2004 in the Bangor Eastern Maine Medical Center.
Jean Clifford was a very kind and giving person, who would always put others before herself no matter what the situation was. She was very involved in her church and read the Bible each night. Had she lived one more night she would have read the bible 23 times! She was a very important person in my life, and i nwill always miss and remember her.
