Grandma and her Yahtzee

Last month, PG and I spent a couple of weekends sorting through boxes of memories in our storage area, looking for items that would be appropriate to sell in our upcoming garage sale. We laughed, we sneezed (lots of dusty boxes there), and I cried . . . a little.

Actually, I was more like a blubbering idiot. All over a few dice.

One of the boxes I came upon was full of my Grandma Josephine’s things. Stuff that I brought home from Grandma’s house after her passing, back in 2001. It contained crocheted samples of party favors Gram had made through the years, an old moo-moo of hers that she often wore, and a gallon size storage bag that held her Yahtzee game. When I pulled out this gallon size bag and saw what was inside of it, tears immediately filled my eyes. Oh, Gram.

We LOVED playing Yahtzee with Grandma. It was what we did most when visiting her, and the way I spent my very last afternoon with her, the weekend before she died. I remember that afternoon like it was yesterday. PG, my sister, and I went over to Grams and we sat in her little one bedroom apartment for hours, playing Yahtzee with her. Grandma, who always played by the rules, quite frankly . . . CHEATED HER BUTT OFF this whole afternoon. She took extra rolls, she miss counted her points, I think she even faked a couple full houses during our games that day. I remember exactly what the room look liked that we sat in, I remember the sunlight coming in from her patio doors, I remember the smell in the air (polish food being made by her wonderful caregiver, Maria.) But what I most remember, was being there and that feeling of not wanting to leave. Ever.

Tonight, I pulled out Gram's Yahtzee bag, and my heart was filled with joy as I saw her writing . . .

In true Grandma Josephine nature, she had written out all of the instructions to the game, just to make sure everyone was clear. God, seeing her handwriting after all these years is just . . . amazing. There were also a number of score cards that had her writing on them, too. One was a game played between Grandma, my sister Laura and me. I forgot how she used to write "Lea" (short for Leanne) when writing my name. 

I'll be able to share a number of score cards with my sister. I know she will cherish them just as much as I will. I decided that now was the perfect time to introduce the game to Katie (I actually don't know why I didn't do it sooner.) So, tonight we sat at the table and played.  Just Katie and Me.

She caught on in no time . . . I was so proud of her, and Grandma Josephine would have been, too.

At the end of our last game, as I tried to snap one last picture, Katie put her hands up to my camera lens and said, "Take this one, Mom." So, I did. 

"I've got a great idea," she said. "We could get the picture from Walgreens and tie it on a balloon and let it go in the sky."

"Which picture, honey?" I asked.

"This one, Mom. The one with me holding the dice. We can send it up to heaven for Great-Grandma Josephine,"  she answered.

And my eyes, again, were full. I vaguely remember us sending a note up to my Dad and my father-in-law, John, shortly after John passed away. Katie must have been just about 3 1/2 years old at the time. I had forgotten about doing that, and I don't believe we have done it since then. But, Katie remembered. And tonight, I'm so grateful that this amazing little girl is my daughter.

Once again, I am reminded that Life Is Good. 

Good night, dear friends.