Some folks in South Dakota had one last taste of winter weather on May Day, at least they hoped it was their last taste. Some in Sioux Falls may have been shouting "Mayday" in response to the snow. That kind of weather was not exactly fitting for dancing around the May Pole. While we haven't heard the official total for anywhere in SD, we have heard that Omaha had 2 inches of snow. As for here in Kornfield county, no snow! It was cloudy and we had a few drops of rain but that was it. The trees are budding, spring is here! life is good-for now.

     Today is Grandma's birthday. Had she made it this far, she would have been 95. Ever since I got the call on the evening that she passed, I've been conflicted. Denial, anger, depression, bargaining, each of these stages came and went. Acceptance was the hardest. Part of me wanted to find out why someone could go to the nursing home with a broken leg and die of pneumonia a few short months later and make the responsible party pay and pay dearly.

I came to realize, in time, that finding out whoever or whatever caused Grandma's last illness wasn't going to bring her back. Then, and only then was I able to put things in place, and get used to the new normal. I remembered when Grandad was taken with the pneumonia. Nothing anyone did brought it on, it just happened. Several people, in preparing me for the end, told me that pneumonia was an old man's best friend, because it takes him to heaven. As it turns out, it did the same for Grandma.

     This year marks the 20th anniversary of the World Wide Web (we should send Al Gore a card). The www made it possible for Grandma's family to connect like it hadn't before. Until the Internet came alone, we saw the relatives on the usual holidays at Grandma's house, and maybe a card, letter or phone call in between. Primarily, it was Grandma that kept the family together. While a computer is a poor substitute, it's all we got. Until the day we are all called to the family reunion in the sky, my family and I will remember Grandma the way she was with a smile, a hug, and the wave that said, "Goodbye, I'll miss you, so come back when you can".  God be with you and do the best you can!