My Sweet, Sweet Oma

On Easter Sunday, a week before my husband and I were going to move closer to home. My Oma (Grandmother) passed away. It was hard to hear, because we were moving closer to spend more time with my family. I'm glad that she did not suffer and it went quickly, but that may be harder for my Opa to swallow. He is having a hard time and that's what gets me upset. They had been together, practically forever. It's hard starting a life without the person you love. He clearly has a broken heart.

I never imagined that I would be the person giving a eulogy for a family member, but one thing that I have learned through working in hospice is that we need to honor the ones that we love. I was at a funeral the week before for a patient of mine and her 10 year old granddaughter said the most touching words about her grandmother. I thought to myself, if she can do it; I can do it and I did.

Here is the eulogy that I gave at my Oma's funeral. It really speaks to the person that she was and the person that will live on in my heart.

(Photo taken at my wedding shower in 2010)


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I have been blessed in my life to have had the pleasure of knowing Liesel, or as we affectionately called her, Oma. My Oma was a beautiful, strong woman that taught me so much.

There were many days in my childhood spent at Oma and Opas. She would be cooking and cleaning and all the while making me smile. She knew the value of hard work as she came over to Canada after the second World War and taught herself how to speak and read English.

Oma was one of the most predictable people that I have ever met. I knew growing up what she would be eating every day of the week and what days she would be cleaning the floor or doing laundry. Even though she was so predictable, there were times when she blew me away. I remember walking into her house one day and she had homemade phylo dough pulled across the entire dining room table.

I will never forget the time I walked into her bathroom and there, in the bath, was a strudel in a pan floating in cold water. When I asked Oma why it was in there, she responded, ‘I’m cooling it for dinner’.

She always had the house stocked with Neapolitan ice cream for those hot summer days and she completely understood when my brother, Joel, would eat all of the strawberry and Nathan would eat all of the chocolate and they would leave the vanilla behind.

She would always save my brothers and I biscuits that she would make during the week and took such pleasure watching us eat them. She even started making extra biscuits and saving them for me, because my brothers would never save me any.

I have fond memories of watching daytime soap operas with her, especially General Hospital. We had many conversations about what Sonny and Alexis were up to. While she would watch she would always be snapping peas or darning a sock.

She had this infectious giggle that could be heard in every conversation with her.

She went through so much as a young girl, yet she waited until I was older to tell me about the struggles of her youth. Oma told me a story that once during the war, she jumped into a grave to turn a friend over so that she would not be facing down, as to have a smooth transition to the afterlife, a custom held dear to her. She would make handkerchiefs to put over her departing friends eyes so that dirt would not cover them. To this day, I cannot imagine the strength it took to risk her life to be so selfless. But that was Oma.

She was a great cook and a brilliant seamstress. She could make soup out of nothing. The dresses she made for me, when I was a little girl, were worthy of runways of Paris and are items that I will cherish forever. She saved everything, because she knew what it meant to lose everything.

She touched so many lives. She was a wonderful wife, an amazing mother to Ewald, Herda and Ricky and a fabulous grandmother and great grandmother. She loved us all and had a special relationship with each of us. She was Ricky’s teddy bear.

I feel that it is no coincidence that she passed away peacefully on Easter. It was her favorite holiday. She just loved the springtime and she took much joy making sure her grandchildren had chocolate bunnies and jelly beans. Chocolate bunnies and Jelly beans…… will always remind me of my sweet, sweet Oma.

There is a vase of pink roses as you walk out, feel free to take one with you. They were Oma’s favorite flowers.

Thank you for coming today, it means the world to all of us.

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Thanks for reading. Miss you, Oma.

Catching up...

Well, change is in the air. It's been a busy few months. I've been running half marathons and moving!

I wanted to put up a couple of posts to catch y'all up on what's been going on in my life.

This was the post that I put up on Facebook and was also published on my company website. Enjoy!

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On March 2nd, 2013, I ran 13.1 miles in honor of my dad (‘The Beard’) and cancer research. It was one of the best days of my life. I have been training for this half marathon for four and a half months. When I started, I would tell people ‘I’m not fully committed, if it happens; it happens’. I was afraid that I would not be able to do it and that I would fail.

When I told my mother-in-law that I was running it she said, ‘which charity are you running for?’. In England racing is very different and most runners are running for a cause/charity. I started to think about it and the first thought that came to my mind was my father and his battle with cancer. I struggled with the idea because my family is pretty private when it comes to matters such as these. I talked to my mom about it and she hesitated for a moment and I heard her hold back her tears and she said, ‘that’s a great idea. Your father would love that’. That’s when I fully committed and started running with my heart. When I shared that I was running in honor of my father and cancer research, I was overwhelmed by the love and support that I received. I never imaged that together we would have raised $2,500 dollars for charity. I am touched by generosity of my friends and family and for the unwavering support that I have received.


My bootcamp instructors have been there every step of the way. Michael and April sent an email before the race and the last lines of it really stuck with me:

‘Finally, as you stand at the start line, be confident. You have done the work. Trust your fitness. Tap into the reality of the moment - How hard you have worked, the miles you have put in, how far you have come and what you are about to do. Be grateful for all of it. Race with gratitude. Grateful for your fitness, grateful for the race, grateful for the support of family, friends and loved ones. Even grateful for the pain.’

And that’s just what I did. I smiled every step of the way and I raced with love in my heart, with gratitude and thanks.

Thank you to my family and friends. To my dad, for being the most amazing man that I have ever met and always knowing exactly what to say to make me smile. To my mom, for being my best friend and an amazing role model. To my brothers (and sisters from other misters), for being there for me. To my husband for being my rock and being there for me every step of the way and being more supportive than I could have ever imagined. To my in-laws, for cheering me on from overseas. To my bootcamp family, for being supportive, inspirational and just all around awesome. I am so thankful for everyone that is in my life. Thank you.

If you will it; it is no dream.

 

Goodbye 2012...Hello 2013!

It is a beautiful, chilly morning in Athens, GA this morning. I just got back from a 5 mile run and I'm showered and back in my Nick and Nora Owl Flannel pjs, sipping on a Carmello latte from Jittery Joes (shhh...don't tell my neighbor!) and all snug in bed whilst I write this blog. I can hear the hubs making me breakfast and my dog growling at the kitty cats as they walk past 'his' window. All is well in our little Athens world.

We just got back from Canada where we spent some serious time with my family and brought in the new year. I noticed lots of my friends writing/discussing their new years resolutions and I love reading/hearing about their aspirations for a new year. I think it's a great time to set goals and to start anew. What are my new years resolutions, you ask?

1) Read more! I always have a book next to my bed, but often times it goes neglected. I want to read a little bit before bed. I'm not setting a limit, even a couple of pages will do, but I want to read all of the books that I have purchased that have been staring at me from the bookshelf.

2) Keep in better touch with family and friends. It's hard when life gets into full swing and the minutes fly by, but I realize that my family and friends are so important and I want to know about the happenings in their lives. I need to reach out more and make myself more available.

3) Run a half marathon! I'm well into my training and I'm excited about it :) Now I just need to sign up for one. Also, I cannot procrastinate with signing up as I waited a little too long for the Hot Chocolate 15k and now it's full. Probably a good thing because my time in Canada put me a little behind.

4) Get more satisfaction out of my work. I love what I do, but I feel like I could be more fulfilled and I need to strive to find 'my calling'. Stay tuned...

5) Keep up with my social media sites. I love looking back at my tweets and blogs and lately I've been slacking.

I think that's it for now. I may also take up swimming this year. Let's see how it goes.

I'm glad to put 2012 behind me and I think my family agrees. It was not a good year. Sure it had it's ups and downs, but over all, I've had better. I haven't been too vocal about the goings on as I said in a previous post, because it's painful. I work in hospice and I work with people who are very sick and comfort their family members in their time of need. It becomes very different when it's 'your time of need'. There is no guidebook and no rules to follow. I wish that we could look into a magic ball and see what the future holds. I know when I went home in September to learn that my father had stage four liver cancer, that my world flipped upside down. My family is positive and so is my father and that's what is getting us through it, but to see and hear someone you love go through so much pain...well...there are no words to even describe it. It's hard to be away from home while all of this is going on and I feel for my brother who lives with my parents and is one of the most stoic people I know.

I remember when I got back to GA, I was a mess. I wanted to scream and I wanted things to be 'normal'. I tried to get back into the swing of things and I went to bootcamp. I had told most of my good  friends via email about my dad and I had not had to say the words out loud. We started our warmup run and a good friend of mine asked me how things were with my dad. I said 'fine' because I didn't know what else to say. Then it the midst of conversation it came out that the trip did not go as expected and when she asked 'what's wrong?". I had no idea what to say. I didn't want to be a Debbie downer and I wanted to put a good spin on it, but what do you say? I burst into tears and ran to my car. I stayed home for the next few days and got myself together. It's hard because people don't want to hear bad news. It gets awkward and people don't know what to say. That or the they say things like 'maybe he should try this' or 'maybe this would help'. I know it comes from a good place, but sometimes all I need to hear is 'I don't know what to say, but I'm here for you'. The phone calls, messages and texts from friends that are 'just checking on me' is what I need. The hug from my husband when he knows that my mind is off thinking about the unknown. My dad is having surgery at the end of this month and I'm happy to have the opportunity to be by his side. I'm going to need lots of 'I don't know what to say, but I'm here for you' along the way, but we will be fine. My family is strong and my dad is the strongest man I know.

I did get to fulfill a dream in 2012. I went to Israel and I studied Post Traumatic Stress disorder and Trauma with some of the forerunners in the field and I met the most amazing people. That will be something that I will never forget.

Welp, it's time to bring this novel to a close and 2012. Goodbye 2012! You will not be missed. Hello 2013, I'm beyond ready for ya!

P.S. Check out this peacock that I ran into on my run this morning! So random!

Cranky, tired and sore...

I'm cranky, tired and sore. Yep, that has been going through my head all day. I even got out of my car at a patient's house today and made my way up the stairs 'granny' style with full sound. I felt like I was 90 years old. The soreness was from a ridiculous amount of lunges at bootcamp on Monday night. The crazy part was that when it came time to get ready for tonight's bootcamp, I was dressed and in the car without even thinking about it. That was the second time this week that I realized that I've made a major life change. I mean, before I wouldn't have gone to bootcamp to begin with, but to go when there was some tenderness and soreness? I knew that it would be fine once I got moving. The other instance was yesterday when I left work early to get a three mile run in before going to dinner with friends (it was such a great dinner! The National had a Hanukkah feast!). It feels good to have made a change and to be sticking with it.

Another aspect where I can see a huge change is my eating habits. Almost everything in our fridge is organic, we rarely eat meat or fish and dairy products are scarce. I've been getting some flack from some folks i.e. "you eat too healthy!" and well, I take that as a compliment. I think that we need to think about the things that we put into our bodies.

I've been thinking a lot lately about "why the change?" and "why now?" and two answers came to me. The first was the dreaded day when I went to put on my favorite pants and the button wouldn't do up and I told myself "ah...it's just my child bearing hips". Seriously, that's what I told myself. The second was realizing that we are not invincible. The biggest blow to me was when my dad was diagnosed with cancer for the first time. It hit me that even the strongest man that I know was powerless to it. I knew then that I needed to make healthier choices for myself. A man that rarely drinks and has never smoked is diagnosed with cancer and it just doesn't make sense. Not that it is supposed to make sense, but when it happens to the ones you love, you want to make sense of it. You want to know why they have to suffer and if there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. I know that I cannot run from cancer or any other disease for that matter, but I can do my best to give my body the tools it needs to have a chance.

I haven't spoken a lot about what's going on in my life lately, because...well...it's painful and I'm not a person to seek sympathy from others. My family is strong and believe in looking at the positives. I'm glad that my dad is here and can tell me how proud of me he is and how great the changes that I've made are. Every time that I have run a longer distance, he is the first person I call to tell. He is my inspiration, each and every day. I love you, Dad; this one is for you.

My Joely!

Today is the hub's birthday. 35 years old. Yikes! When did this happen? Just kidding. He is currently at the UGA v. GA Tech game with his friend Bradley. I have had a busy morning and a lazy afternoon. This morning I ran 5k and then went to bikram yoga with my fabulous neighbor, Mel. I've been lounging on the couch watching Mad Men while the hubs is away and debating if I put conditioner in my hair when I showered. Let's hope so! I wanted to take this time to write a blog about my husband and well, how fabulous he is. We have been married for two years and three months now and the time has flown by. We are constantly laughing and just enjoy each others company. I think one of the most fabulous things about our marriage is that we allow each other to be their own person and to follow our dreams; whether they are together or separately. I never imagined having a partner that is so supportive of my endeavors. When I started bootcamp it was a family decision. One because it is pricey and two it means that I get home even later on week nights. Joel has stepped up and has done the majority of the cooking so that I can do something that I love. He is actually becoming quite the little chef and I would even dare to say that he has become the Tofu King! It's crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Every time I have a crazy idea to try something new in life he is right there beside me or is willing me on. When I told him that I wanted to train for a half marathon he said "awesome!" and on Thanksgiving when I was not feeling like doing a long run he said "I'll get on my bike and ride beside you while you run for the 5 miles". Is that love or what? The man puts up with my mishigas on a daily basis and keeps coming back for more. I can be a handful (ask my family) and he knows how to calm me down when I get worked up and he knows what I need before I even know I need it. He is the man that I had been waiting for. I am so lucky to have him in my life. Let's raise a glass to my man on his 35th. L'chayim!

Day of Thanks...

Today is American Thanksgiving. It's slightly humorous that a Canadian and a Brit are holding a lil family dinner, but we just can't help but get in the spirit of it all. We hardly eat meat, but Joel had to have a turkey. So, we made the traditional feast. A big ol' turkey, two kinds of dressing (I've officially been in the South too long), roasted potatoes, cranberry sauce and my Grandmother's apple cake. It was lovely. We really have a lot of things to be thankful for. We both have amazing family, friends and each other. I've been thinking a lot about my family today. My dad is going through chemo again and I'm thankful that he is. I'm thankful because it means that he has another shot. It's not a pretty road to recovery in any means, but it's another chance. I wish I could see him and give him a huge hug. I miss him. I'm thankful for facetime and that I was able to see my family back home today. They are the air I breathe. I just wanted to write a little post on this day of thanks. Thanks for reading.

Crazy bizarro day...

Today was a crazy, bizarro day. Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like everyone around you is crazy? Well, that was my entire day. Needless to say that I'm in bed early (typing this on my iPhone!), so I can attempt to get a good nights sleep. If I could sum it up...I guess it would be nice if everyone would say what they mean and mean what they say. That's my new motto. Night folks ;)