Past Memories - Pansy Memories

Last Saturday we had the service for Helen Leifer - March 26, 2011 was the day but she'd died March 16, 2011 one month before turning 94 years of age.  Many times after a person is gone they are "lifted" to heights far beyond who they really were.  However, Helen Leifer, my mother-in-law was as true as a person can be.  She was funny, honest, simple, caring, devoted, non-judgemental, loved people, loved her family, loved life, but most importantly, she Loved her God and was faithful in her Catholic beliefs to the day she left this earth to join Him in the heavens.  Her career in life was to be a "mother" and she took it seriously:)!!  She loved it!!!  She also loved being a grandmother and then again loved being a great grandmother - and she was blessed with lots!!!

Years ago when the girls were just little they would stay with grandma some as Jim and I went into Spokane or whatever errands we needed to run.  Both Larissa and Litney preferred staying there than running around with us:)  In the spring of the year Grandma would plant her "pansies" - she LOVED pansies!!!  On one of our many trips home she gave the girls a magazine filled with picked pansies between wax paper and we were to keep them for a time when they would dry out and could be used for something special.  Well, that day came when Larissa (could have been Litney too, but for this one it was written for Larissa) was about 16 or 17 and was giving a gift back to grandma.  Both girls "knew" the way to Cheney and the closer we got, they could see the "signs" of grandma and grandpas.  We gave the origianl to Grandma and she placed it on her wall for years to come. 

Larissa came home from Texas for the service.  The night before flying back to Texas we literally searched grandma's home trying to locate that original gift but couldn't find it.  I decided to look through some of my books and was able to locate a copy of the original.  I'm placing it here now - it was entitled "Pansy Memories" and now with grandma's death, the last lines have much more meaning.  There'll not be a time that I see a "pansy" and won't think of grandma!  Time slips by so quickly and we're only left with memories.  Blessings to grandma Helen and to all!!