Gigi, and the Magic Wave

Today I started crying at JoAnn Fabrics. Right at the cutting table.


It wasn't the cutters fault, she was just doing her job. Not cutting two yards of magic fleece into two separate one yard strips. It's just not allowed. Company policy.

I didn't mean to cry, it's just that JoAnn Fabrics has so many company policies! It made me SAD!

Plus I had eaten like a pound of fudge in the car. A pound of fudge can really take it's toll on a girl's emotions.

Plus my Gigi had a stroke last night and I was on my way to the hospital to see her. Only I stopped. When I saw JoAnn's Fabrics. To buy some magic fleece for her.

I had already stopped at the flower shop where my daughter works and bought one of my daughter's arrangements. For Gigi.



Then I stopped again at In-N-Out because In-N-Out is a California joint and I spent lotsa summers in Cali at In-N-Out with Gigi and Papa.

From the drive through at In-N-Out I had a perfect view of Mimi's Cafe, which is Gigi's favorite restaurant . . .



Can you see why the company policies push me over the edge?

When my mom called me this morning with the news, she had been up all night by my Gigi's bedside. It appeared Gigi had no memory of anyone and couldn't speak.



My Gigi! The same Gigi who was struck by lightening three times and lived. The same Gigi who fed me Bean with Bacon soup every day for a month just because I wanted it. The same Gigi who kept her cookie jar full of Oreos all summer long, just because I wanted it. The Gigi who always had gum in her purse and taffy on her coffee table. Who let me take sips of her Shasta Cola in between cartwheels and who let me have my very own glass of Instant Breakfast when no one else was looking.

Hmmmm . . . it would appear that the way to my heart is through my stomach.

But she did other things too--like drive 12 hours from Cali twice a year bearing a Subaru full of clothing purchased at Value Village for me and my siblings. When she and Papa packed up to go back home they always said, "Does anyone want to come with us?" I always raised my hand, so they always piled me into their Subaru where I sat in the back, but leaned forward so I could be right in between Gigi and Papa the whole way. I didn't want to miss a thing they said.

Or ate.

Gigi always took me to K-Mart for the Blue Light Specials. She taught me how to make quesadillas (which she called casadillas) and let me watch game-shows with her all day long. We ate popsicles and put puzzles together and lit sparklers on her front porch.

I LUB MY GIGI!

(But I don't lub company policies.)

The last time I saw my Gigi was over Christmas. Thank goodness I snapped some photographic evidence.

And thank goodness I stuck my camera out the window at the very last second to capture this blurry, yet priceless, image of her waving goodbye as we pulled out of the parking lot.

Maybe for the last time.

Gigi and Papa ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS stood on their front porch and waved goodbye to us as we left their house. NO MATTER WHAT. And they didn't stop waving until we were out of sight. Once we actually drove around the block just to see if they were still there and sure enough they were. And they waved goodbye to us again.


Now that my Gigi is 89, and can't manuever herself around very well, we tell her not to worry about it. "We can make our way out and get on home without you waving from the front porch," we tell her.


But she insists.

When I saw her today, all still and quiet in that hospital bed, it kinda started a few cracks in my stone cold heart.


But she was doing better than I expected and her eyes teared up a little bit when she saw me. She also squeaked out the words "so pretty" when I showed her the flower arrangement my daughter had made. And she waved at me, from her bed, as I was leaving her room. Her arm was full of wires and tubes and leads and such, but she still managed to send me off with a wave.

Sniff!

So, do you wanna see the magic fleece I picked out for Gigi?

I made her a puzzle blanket . . .

Because she's one of those puzzle geeks, and I give her a new puzzle every year for Christmas.



And guess what else! I got the first flannel in the mail today for the Magic traveling baby quilt. See this post, Emma and Taylor for the story.