Today is my grandmother's birthday. 02-02-1900!
Florence Corry DeBlieck 1900-1986
She was an awesome lady who raised my father her only child as a single mother. This was by her choice since she kicked my grandfather out of the house.
Back then and even today my family does NOT divorce. Annul yes but never divorce. There have been 3 annulments the last being my own. Right now my family has combined total more than 300 years of marriage since 1925.
When we were young she would drag us here and there to all her senior events. We did not realize it at that time but she was instilling in each of us her love of the fine arts and history. Later after we got our driver's license we became her travel buddies. {she never drove but was always on the go}.
How many children today can say they have heard bagpipe players, been to a stage play, gone to NYC to see a performances at Radio City Music Center, Madison Square Garden for Ringling Brothers Circus, the World's Fair, countless museums, observatories, historic wonders. Left to go to her favorite shore destination but ended up in another state. Oh that was an adventure all in itself. The list goes on and on. Then there was the weekly Bingo games. She would buy and if you won she got half. After the game she would always want to go and have her little Bud nipper at the local watering hole, LOL
As a tribute the night before her funeral after all 9 of us plus several grandkids were together we went to the race track followed by her favorite bar. We toasted her life!
That was the very last time all of us would be together. Leaving the funeral home we embraced into one huge hug and allowed our tears to flow.
I doubt that many of us realized that this was the first and last time that we allowed our true emotions to show and be felt.
Her passing was also the beginning of the end of the family. Not something readily realized or accepted but it was indeed what it was.
I describe grandmother's passing as the loosening of the thread that holds a quilt together.
She was the backbone and thread so to speak that kept us all as one.
Her passing also marked many changes that would begin to occur in my own life.
Whether good or bad those changes would lead me to where I am today.
Doors would open, doors would close and even more would open and close over and over.
I can't help to think about the lost opportunities but I find it hard to dwell there because of where I ended up going afterwards.
To my Grandmother Florence Corry DeBlieck I raise my glass and say Thank You for all you gave to me!
