irene hardwick baldwin

my grandmother irene was

born on nov. 25th, 1913.

today would be her 101st birthday!

i'm remembering her with so much love today~

we found this poem in her dresser drawer after she 

died and it was read at her memorial service in 1986:

i'd like the memory of me to be a happy one,

i'd like to leave an afterglow of smiles when my life is done.

i'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways, 

of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.

i'd like the tears of those who grieve to dry before the sun,

of happy memories that i leave, when my life is done.

                                                                unknown

the longer i walk this earth, the more remarkable i find my dear

grandmother to have been.

she had her first baby when she was only 17 and then went

on to have 6 more- including a set of twins-(my mother was one of them).

she had 21 grandchildren and was accumulating great grandchildren

left and right when she left us- all too soon.

grama irene became my second mother when i was 7 and my mom died.

grama and grampa's youngest child paul still lived at home when my

sister and i became theirs to raise. 

i was the youngest of the 9 children they raised. 

she was 73 when she died and had children under her roof from age 17- 63.

that's a long time to actively mother kids.

she did this all without complaining. 

she and my grandfather were simple people. 

farmers~ turning the earth to make a living. they always lived

close to the bone. the really remarkable thing though is that

i never really knew that we had to go without.

they did the best they could- without complaints- to

raise all of us.

they knew what really mattered in life, and that was

that time was the real currency.

my grama knit and crocheted and sewed gifts for all of us.

she baked many times a week and could make cooking a huge

meal look so easy. she gardened like few i've ever known,

whistling while she hand hoed about an acre of land. 

i don't think she loved anything more than her big family around her table.

she played with her grandchildren, teaching them the different

sounds that "her" birds made, and making up little songs and games

for us. she took us on walks and took us camping.

she let us pick flowers out of her garden and dishes out of her

china cupboard. she bought old furniture and refinished it

and turned it into cherished keepsakes for her family.

she was a remarkable woman in a way that may seem unremarkable to many. 

she went to church and she went to the grocery store...

she hoed in the dirt and kneaded bread at her

 counter. she hated to have her picture taken and

she loved many dogs. she liked to watch soap operas and

would knit and nap in her chair while she took that

one hour rest in the middle of her busy days.

grama irene had a wicked sense of humor and loved to play tricks on 

people and make them laugh. whether she was sneaking ugly fake flowers

in girlfriends gardens, or dressing up at family reunions, you could

always count on her to have something up her sleeve!

she died when she was only 73 and she was ready~

she adamantly told all of us- when her kidneys failed, that

she was ready to go~ she did not have any desire to do 

dialysis and sincerely felt like her time here on earth was done.

i wasn't ready to say goodbye- but are we ever?

she lived her life like she wanted to, and she

died with dignity and grace. making all of us laugh

until the last day of her life.

happy 101st birthday grama irene,

you were so loved.

xo,

beth