Went to see Grandma Ruth

May 18, 2008 Eva, Ella, Sophie, Grandma Ruth, Rachel and Matt

We were able to go visit Grandma Ruth this last weekend. With her cancer in stage four and a blood clot in her lungs threatening to dislodge, she could leave us at any time. But that wasn't cause for her to cry, mope around, or complain while we were there - it was cause to play cards! And that's exactly what we did.

She insisted we didn't come until she was all made up and looking beautiful, as she always is. She was sitting at her dining table waiting for us and playing solitaire. We only talked for a few minutes before we started a game of Hate Your Neighbor. Grandma Ruth is pulling out all the stops for her last little while here, and has broken out the fancy cards friends have been giving her through the years. We played with a vintage deck from Alaska. I know I was irritating her the entire time because I kept messing up and not paying attention, lol. It's almost takes effort to screw up Hate Your Neighbor, but I succeeded. She didn't get on me about it too much though. She won the game fair and square (Eva passed her a lot of bad cards, lol) and of course was very happy. All the quarters were in her wooden pineapple dish. I know all you Hamricks know the one I'm talking about. She had really wanted to put in for the girls, and after she won, she gave them all three quarters to play with later at Marv & Joannie's. What else could they want from her? She was getting tired and had only wanted us to stay for about an hour, so it was time to leave. She stayed in her chair because it tires her to walk at all, so we all took turns giving her a hug goodbye. She acted like it was any other visit, and said goodbye like she always does. I was thinking it might be the last time I would see her, and cried a little, but I was the only one who shed a tear. She made the girls feel so comfortable and was so much fun like she always is, they didn't feel at all like they should be sad. Or maybe they didn't quite grasp the moment. Anyway, it was so much better than having a cry fest, and they'll always remember that visit as a happy one!

So I said I was the only one crying, and as I went to the kitchen to grab a Kleenex, I put my camera on the television. Of course I forgot it, and we got to back again on Sunday before leaving town to get my camera :) And I thought we'd never see her again. She was at her table again, and ready for another game. We played Hate Your Neighbor again. She was her usual fun self, but this time she had some parting words of advice. Just before the game was over, she said in her very straight forward way, "well I hope you teach your kids about sex, so they don't go out at 14 and get pregnant!" LOL!!! Matt and I busted up laughing! She kept going, "they need to know what the consequences are for going out and having sex." We were dying!!! Matt pointed his finger at each of the girls and said, "no sex for you, no sex for you, and no sex for you!" Ella was mortified and pretended she didn't hear any of it and asked, "so where are we going for lunch?" LOL!!!

Matt won that game, and then it was time to go. We said goodbye like before, like it was any other day, and I didn't even cry. It was just a fun time, like Grandma Ruth likes it. As we walked out, she said, "see ya sometime."

I hope everyone gets the chance to go visit her in the next few weeks. And be ready for some cards!