Letter to Granny Ruby

Dear Granny!
Oh my, how I miss you!!!!

I’m already crying just writing the word granny!
I need you so much some days..

I want you so much others…

We all feel this way. All of your grandkids. Because you were the best granny to all of us. You made each one of feel like we were specifically your “favorite”.

Hey, we actually fought about this a little at your funeral.
Oh! Your funeral! You would have laughed so hard. We were sitting on the porch at Aunt Brenda’s. Everyone was taking turns saying something about you. I knew that I was going to stand up there and tell the world how beautiful you were.. But when I began thinking about your smile, your laugh, your blue, blue, blue eyes, I fell to pieces. I jumped up to get away and hide my breakdown. But I hit my head on some flipping birdcage and made a scene..there weren’t even any damn birds in the thing which made me cry even harder because of the beautiful love birds that Brenda use to keep in the cages. Speaking of birds, remember that jerk of a parrot that you told me to talk to in the pet store when I was 5? I kept asking the stupid thing if he wanted a cracker.. Apparently, he didn’t because he finally screamed, “SHUUUT UUP!” I was terrified, but you laughed so hard!! Now my kids laugh when I tell them the story and squawk like that parrot. I laugh too.
My baby boy is 9 now. That means you’ve been gone 10 years. You never met him. Your eyes are in his head! I thank God that He gave him your eyes. But sometimes it tears me up and we get to all hear about my granny and her blue eyes and short stature, her white hair and her stubborn nature, but mostly about her love for life. When I talk about you, I can almost feel your presence.
It isn’t beyond me to make the kids watch Fraggle Rock with me while we eat grilled cheese and drink chocolate milk. We also like to go buy the Brach’s candy in the bins at the grocery store.. Those are getting hard to find these days. Anything I can do to keep you close!
The baby boy likes to go through my little boxes of tiny things with me. I tell them about how you use to make it seem so magical just pulling one little shiny piece of costume jewelry or nick nak out at a time and letting us feel it in our curious hands. So, I do this with my littles.. But usually it’s dorky stuff like coins from around the world or stamps or rocks I’ve found. Yes, I do have pieces of your jewelry safe in my lil boxes too.. I even have the old perfume bottles and… Tiny porcelain dogs.. ( I cannot believe I’m admitting that I still look for them in thrift stores and antique shops.)
But Granny, my favorite thing that you ever did was send me letters, even through my teenage years. You never forgot a single occasion, and you always remembered the details of my life. You were always praying for all of us. Granny, I’ll pray more often for all of your grandkids. You told me to always pray for them. Especially your favorite…and we’ve all decided it’s ok that she was your favorite. She needed you the most.
But my littlest would definitely be your favorite great grandchild! He’s as mischievous and witty as you could make a blue eyed boy and he is always laughing.
I miss you and I love you!! I can’t wait to see you again! I’ll try not to bump my head too many more times on the way up.
Love,

Your graceful and clumsy “Jessca”.. ( you were the only one that gets away with not giving me my full three syllables.)