Goodbye, Grandma B

This weekend my Grandma Bodensteiner passed away.  As she was nearing death last week, my dad mentioned that she was standing at the threshold of eternity -- an awe-inspiring and sobering thought.  She was ready to go and be with Jesus, and so our sadness is "not without hope," as it says in Thessalonians 4:

 ¹³Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. ¹⁴We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

I will miss her, though.  She got married at age 19 and went on to successfully raise a family of nine kids, who later produced 19 grandkids and now a handful of great-grandkids.  My first memories of Grandma were shelling peas from her garden in the farmhouse kitchen.  I also remember...

Grandma enjoying big family gatherings, both normal and a little crazy:

1988 Nerd Party at the farm

1989 at the farm, with three new granddaughters

Me with Grandma and Grandpa at my cousin's wedding last summer

Holidays in new Hampton:

Me playing with Grandma at Easter

Grandma perming my hair (just once!):

Her delicious cinnamon rolls, buns, apple pies, and roast beef:

Cooking roast beef with my mom right before I left for China

Playing cards:

Euchre with me, my sister, and my dad in Decorah.

Dancing the polka:

Grandma and Grandpa were married over 60 years, and I never heard a sharp word between them.  Here they are toasting their 40th wedding anniversary:

I wonder if they knew then that they were less than 2/3 of the way through their love story. 

I admire Grandma for her hard work, for raising a good family, for her good humor, for her uncomplaining spirit, for her love for all of us, and for her faith in God.  She lived well and she died well.  Thanks, Grandma B, for showing us how it's done.