In Memory...

My grandmother passed away on March 19, 2010. She was 91. We had a memorial service for her last Friday. It was beautiful, mostly because it brought back so many memories of healthy Gramma. She was a sweet, wonderful woman.

I was honored to be able to put together a eulogy for the service. It was such a great experience to remember my grandmother as she was before the Alzheimer's. I've posted a copy of my notes at the bottom of this post. For now, here are some pictures from the day:

The three kids in their Easter outfits. Amanda is wearing a dress that my Mom made for me when I was a baby.

Perhaps these capture their personalities better:


Amanda was so silly. She thought it was hilarious to lie down for the picture.


I love this picture of her smile and the smocking on her dress. She was really in a good mood and the lighting in the chapel was great.


My cousin Katie is a Senior at Florida State, majoring in voice performance. She has a gorgeous voice and I was delighted to hear her sing two songs.

The whole family....


Thank you all for coming to help us celebrate the life of my grandmother. It is truly a blessing to see all this love surrounding us.

This has been a long road we have travelled these past 10 years. Alzheimer’s is such a cruel disease and it has been awful to watch Gramma’s memory fade.

I have a friend who has recently been on a similar journey with her grandmother. She told me that after her grandmother passed, the true healings and blessings came when the memories of her healthy grandmother came back into the foreground.

Sometimes the present is so real that we let the memories of the past fade or get lost in the midst of making medical decisions. But, I don’t want that to happen.
Let’s begin to remember Christine Biddle as she was when we all met her. In that light, I want to highlight ways that I will remember Gramma. I met Gramma, of course, when I was born. She has always been present in my life, especially since she moved to Atlanta when I was one. She shared birthdays, Christmases and dinner every Sunday night at our house. She was such a big influence on my life, and I am blessed because of it.

One of the most tangible ways that I will remember Gramma is that she loved to knit. We all have Afghans that she lovingly put together for us. One of mine sits on the couch in the winter and it is nice to be able to snuggle under it with my kids and share memories.

Another memory is that she did not cook. As I mentioned, Sunday dinner was at our house, not hers. She made corn pudding every time she had a pot luck at church and canned peas were a vegetable staple in her house. To this day, I cannot open a can of peas without thinking of her. The smell takes me right back to her kitchen.

My strongest memory of Gramma is her amazing gift to make the most beautiful music on the piano. It was a gift that she had from childhood. She could play just about anything, with or without music. She filled our home with music. Every birthday celebration, she was proud to sit at the piano and accompany us in Happy Birthday. It even sounded beautiful on our antique, out of tune piano, with our not so antique, out of tune voices. (Unless, of course, Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Bob & Katie were with us.)

I’m sure you all have your own remembrances of Gramma, or Christine or Chris, as many of you called her. By naming my Mom “Nancy Christine,” she began a legacy of Christines in our family. I am Leslie Christine. Growing up, I was always proud to be “Little C” and a part of the “Three Christines.”

When I was about 10, we realized that there were some very strong traits that run through the family lines. We called them “Christine traits.” Most traits were strong in all three generations. All Christines love to be where the action is, Gramma most especially. These were Bump, Bump, Bump. But occasionally a trait skipped one of us. As I mentioned earlier, Gramma wasn’t much of a cook, but my Mom and I both love to cook. That’s a Skip, Bump, Bump trait. If a trait was really strong in one particular generation, it would be a double or triple bump – i.e. Gramma’s smile that would light up a room.

Gramma’s legacy runs strong through the Christine line. And it continues in the next generation with my niece Callie Christine and my daughter Amanda Christine. I already see “bumps” in their personalities and love to look for Gramma reflected in them.

I have another friend who, in her condolences to me this week, said, “Grandmothers are so special. Mine continues to influence my daily life.” This woman is at least 10 years older than me, so I was impressed at the longevity in her family. She paused a moment and said, “She’s been gone for 10 years.” So let’s together remember the first 80 years of Gramma’s life. As in the case of my friend, these memories will continue to impact and influence me for many years to come.