Bluegrass Clippings: Austin Trip 2

Mimi passed away on June 8, 2018 at the age of 96. She was one-of-a-kind. Friends and family gathered at her longtime church in Austin to celebrate and remember her life. Fancy tea cups and dishes were used in her honor, as she would have liked it. Mimi liked things "just-so" and I think she was represented well at her memorial. Maybe she would have even said it was "satisfactory." :)

She was well-loved and respected in her church and neighborhood. She lived a very strong life, and I was so impressed by how she handled the aging process with very little complaining and lots of spunk. Several of us wore her signature "Cherries in the Snow" hot pink lipstick color to her memorial, which would have made her laugh.

I have lots of childhood memories with Mimi: sitting at her kitchen bar watching her make us ham sandwiches with lots of mayo and crisp lettuce, having picnics on the terrace in her backyard as she commented on all the goings on around us, her getting on a swing at the park while in her 80's and swinging away with a smile on her face (even have a picture!), driving through the curvy roads of her neighborhood in her bright red blazer a "little left of center" as her funny neighbor put it (with the running neighborhood commentary), getting dizzy while twirling under the Christmas tree of lights at Zilker Park while holding hands and laughing, her fruit salad that went on for days after each family gathering...

In her later days, her vision failed her. I got to spend more time with her in the hospital, rehab, and at her house after she fell and broke her hip. One day she said, "I used to be able to talk about what was going on around me, but now I can't see enough to comment on it." Since I am not the best conversationalist, we had a lot of silence. I would ask her things about her life. She had sweet stories about my Gus making her feel beautiful and loved, their fun dating life before marriage, and some of their harder times. She told me of some of her regrets. She lived more than 30 years after he died, but said loneliness wasn't ever really a problem for her until she couldn't drive on her own.

One night when we were getting ready for bed, I went into her bathroom to check on her. She was leaning against her sink with her eyes closed. I thought she had started falling asleep and was worried she would fall. When I said her name and asked if she were alright, she startled a bit with a laugh and told me she was just praying. I wouldn't say she was a particularly saccharin sweet kind of woman, but she loved very deeply and had a strong relationship with the Lord. If she saw something good in someone else, she made mention of it. And sometimes the other way around, too!

I'm proud she was my Mimi, and I was blessed to get to know her better in my adult life. Her strength, bluntness, and resolve are things I will never forget. Her last words to me were a groggy "I love you" from her bed in hospice. I knew what she said though it was hard to understand, and she even mustered a smile. She once told me she hoped to die with all of her bills paid and all of her affairs in order. She had to have help with some of those things in the end, but I do think she "stepped around the corner" with grace and in good standing with her loved ones and God.