Remembering Grandma Doran - On what would be her 81st Birthday!

"If there is ever a tomorrow when we are not together, there is something you must remember: You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I will always be with you." - Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh.

Happy 81st Birthday, Grandma! Remembering you as my life-long cheerleader! I love you and miss you always. ♥

Below, I am pasting in my eulogy to you, that I wrote over 6 years ago, and read at your funeral. Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the time we shared, and the influence both you and Grandpa had on my life.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A former priest of ours once told me, the way to make God laugh is to tell him your plan. In these past 8 months of my grandmother's life, God sure was getting quite a chuckle.

Gram was definitely a planner, and if it wasn't in the plan, she wanted nothing to do with it. Yet, even though planning is how she lived her life, there were plenty of plans in her life she had no control of.

She didn't plan on being born into such an amazing family, or marrying such an amazing and gentle man. She didn't plan on having the two incredibly strong children that she and Grandpa raised. In her wildest dreams, I don't think she ever thought she'd live to see her grandchildren grow into very capable adults and even find more room in her heart to love a great granddaughter as well.

It wasn't in the plan to move to Florida and I know she didn't plan to outlive Grandpa.

But one thing I have grown to learn and accept in these past few years, is that only God knows the plan for each and every one of us.

Plans change, and the only thing we can do is embrace it and trust. I trust God knows what he is doing. His plan was for each and every one of us was to get to know and love this incredible woman whom we celebrate today.

Gram holds a very special place in my heart. She was my cheerleader and I was her Er-bear.

The only plan that I am sure of, is that I plan to remember her love and kindness everyday for the rest of my life. She will always be with me.

She and Grandpa are together again, and we have to trust that this was all in God's plan.

In closing, I choose to quote my favorite poet, Robert Frost. A poet whose vacation home I got to see on a family trip with my parents and grandparents to Key West. "In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On."