Jason's Untimely Thoughts

taken May 30, 1999

My grandmother Dimple Miller died early this morning.  She was 94 and like many of her generation, lived an incredible life.  Her last couple of years, last couple of months especially, haven’t been great, and the last few days it has been clear what was happening, but that doesn’t make anything easier.  For all of us, but especially for my mom and her brothers.

My memories of Grandma are random, as those things tend to be.  I remember her working at the meat counter at the grocery store.  I remember her always having an incredible amount of food ready to eat all the time.  I remember cakes and pies.  She always had something for us kids to play with, whether it was a jar full of buttons, an old organ that she surely got from Uncle Ron, or an actual toy.  Most of that stuff my kids then played with too.

I remember her teaching at Sunday School at the Bernie Church of Christ.  I remember her and lots of our family at that church singing the old hymns, with no piano or organ accompaniment, naturally, Church of Christ and all.  I remember walking out the front door of that church and running around.

I remember her (and my other grandma too) taking Meals on Wheels to the “old people,” around town, many of which I’m sure were younger than her.  I remember her garden and her gardening.  I remember her old pickup truck.  I remember going to Grandpa Zimmerman’s house with her.

I don’t remember her ever saying an unkind word about anyone.  I do, though, remember her saying once about a general situation, “she can’t help it she’s ugly, but she doesn’t have to leave the house.”  I’m not sure anything has ever surprised me more.

I remember lots of relatively random people telling me how great they think she is.

I watched an excellent documentary on George Harrison a while ago, titled All Things Must Pass.  In it, George’s wife said something to the effect of George wasn’t afraid of death, didn’t dread it, had lived his life to prepare for it.  The thing that makes this easier on me, and I know on Mom and her brothers too, is that I truly believe that about Grandma Dimple as well.  She lived through the Bernie Church of Christ, was a great, kind, generous, loving person, and was prepared and ready for this day.  I imagine there are any number of those old hymns being sung now.

Goodbye Grandma, tell Grandpa Lester hello.

I think I’ve mentioned this in this space before, but I donated a bunch of Sarah’s photos to the State Historical Society of Missouri.  I went through and sorted all her negatives, prints, and such, and then gave some to various folks around town, while the majority went to the historical society.  I intend to do the same thing with the digital files, but just have never gotten to it.

The folks at SHSM emailed me yesterday with an inventory of what they have.  It’s not terribly descriptive, I think they’ll go back thru if/when they ever have more time, and add more detail.  But, if interested, their inventory is linked here.