In loving memory of Edna Manning

Yeah, still on sabbatical from regular blogging. If you see me posting here during times like this it's only because whatever I'm writing about is really important. It also probably means that it's something that I really didn't want to write about... and unfortunately this is going to be one of those times.

Last Wednesday night Lisa's grandmother, Edna Manning, passed away at the age of 80 (that's Lisa and "Granny" together at our wedding in 2002).

I'll never forget the first time that I met her, not long after Lisa and I had started dating. This was in late 2000, and I was still reeling from the loss of my own grandmother the previous March. Immediately I was struck at how much alike Lisa's "Granny" and my "Granny" were: Both loved to cook. Both loved music and to sing. Both were feisty as heck. And both fine women were loved by many, many people.

I came to love Granny a lot. Maybe a lot more than most people will ever know. A month ago Lisa and I were in Georgia to spend Christmas with her family and I really wanted to see Granny. But then I fell sick with an infection of mycoplasm - one of the nastiest things I've ever been hit with - and spent practically the entire trip in bed, only able to get up an hour for Christmas Day. I missed seeing Granny during that trip because I was so sick and because I didn't want her to catch what I'd gotten. I really wanted to see her then, and I promised myself that I would see her the next time we came and that I wanted that to be soon... but I never got the chance.

Well, she knew that I loved her and as much as she used to joke with me, I know that she loved me too. If there's just that much going on between people, that is plenty enough already. Makes you wish there was more of it in this world. Well, Edna Manning AKA "Granny" had it in spades.

Lisa has written a much better tribute to Granny than anything I could do here. Until I read hers, I had no idea that Granny was such a deep and talented person. So I felt led to "break my fast" again not just to write my own thing about Granny, but to point other people to Lisa's. I for one would definitely appreciate it if you took a few moments to read about her grandmother on her blog.

I'd said when I broke off from blogging last week that some real-life things had come up that demanded attention. This was one of them. There are quite a few still on the plate right now. I'll be back blogging in full again once those are out of the way. Until then, take care and God bless.