Gramcracker

I thought this would be a good way to say thank you to everyone 

who supported me through the loss of my grandmother. 

This blog entry is a way to share how we chose to remember and

celebrate her life.

To have known her was to know that she loved everything about 

the sea...

 

We stayed at a hotel on the beach and woke up before sunrise to have our little intimate ceremony. What we did was write letters about her and put them in a bottle to throw out to sea, so whom ever found the bottle could read how special she was to us. Then I simply wrote in the sand and placed some beautiful fragrant lilies on the sand that could be washed out to sea with the incoming tide. At sunrise I read my letter that I wrote and we threw the bottle.

 It was special because just as we were having our ceremony dolphins swam in the surf right in front of us. 

My letter...

Recently, we lost someone very special to us, I call her Gramcracker. (it’s a nick name I chose for her about 20 years ago and the rest of the family adopted it too). Her given name was Marion Rosalind Wescott, and she went by Lynn Austin. She was born September 23, 1915. She lived a full an happy life and she was the first person to remind you of that until her last breath. I will miss having her here, where I can call her and speak to her and hold her. 

There might be many people that could tell you about her amazing life, because she had a life full of adventure and drama and a little romance, but I want to tell you a little about what my Gramcracker meant to me and what she taught me; By the time I was born most of the drama and adventure and romance had settled itself, as sand settles itself on the ocean floor after the waves pass by. 

She taught me about Family... Gramcracker loved her family. There was a time in her life when she had to make a conscious choice about wether to have children, and she made that choice. That choice brought change and some heartache for her but she never regretted that decision because her children meant the world to her. She may not have showed her love the way typical American mother do with cookies and apple pie and trips to the ballpark, but she showed it in many ways, perhaps they can tell you about that. I am her granddaughter and I will tell you about how she showed her love to me. Every summer since I can remember she would pick me up from my parents and take me with her to Baja California, we would drive down the coast in her winnabego listening to Camelot and my Fair Lady on the 8 track. At night I would sleep next to her in the bed in back, One night she wacked me awake because I apparently was a little to restless and had hit her in my sleep. One summer we made the trip in a bitty pinto, just she and I and when we got to the grapevine in California where the tempatures can be scorching we stopped and bought bags of ice to put on us as we made our way through the mountains. My grandmother could have had other things to do or people to see, because she had a business, friends and money, but I knew that I was important to her because of the time she always took to be with me and make sure we were together each year. Those memories are priceless to me, and I will forever be grateful for the lessons they taught me about family. 

People... She taught me that people are more important than things. People were drawn to her and she had

friends where ever she went. 

Things... She taught me that people were more important than things. 

Nature... She loved Shells... actually anything to do with the ocean. She loved flowers... and she loved her

dogs... She taught me to love nature, through her love of nature and through taking me on sailing trips 

and to remote beaches where I could feel the peace and witness the beauty of nature for myself. 

Work... She taught me about work. She had all the monetary things she could ever need in life, but she was never idle or indulgent. She was always looking for something to create and give back. It’s hard to remember all the things she did but to name a few she had a clothing line that she sewed and fabric that she designed, she had a floral shop, owned a hotel, had multiple shell shops and until she was 91 she sewed place mats just about every day to sell at local craft markets. 

Food... She appreciated good food some of her favorite foods were. Thai, Japanese, sea, ice cream, fruit.

Money... I wish I could have learned more from her about money because she never let it control her...  but the lessons she taught me about money from her example are, that it’s not the most important thing. She had more than she needed, but she was one of the most frugal people I know. 

She wasn’t perfect as none of us are but she was a wonderful example to me of preserverance and strength. She was independent, stubborn and opinionated and I loved her for it. We didn’t always see eye to eye about everything but our love for each other was stronger than any differences in opinion we may have had. I owe so much of who I am to her and the role she played in my life. I am forever grateful to have had my Gramcracker.

I am blessed to have a strong faith about where we go when we die as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I am confident that she is in a good place. I know that God is merciful and loving because he is merciful and loving to me continually, when I look to him for strength. I look forward to seeing my grandmother again.

Sherry Eden Marshall

Thank you again for all your love and support!