I would let nothing of you go, ever

 R.I.P. Audie Blanche Simpson 

 February 6^th, 1916 - October 26^th 2012

Tonight my world is much darker without her. 96 years young, and  the strongest person - not just woman - I've ever known. You are an inspiration to everyone you met, and I was blessed to be born your granddaughter. I hope you are with my mom and grandfather celebrating in paradise tonight. There won't be a day that goes by that I don't think about of all of you.

My grandmother and I have always had a really special relationship, and we've been especially close because I have been caring for her on my own after my Mother passed away in 2005. We bonded over being two girls who felt completely alone, and completely devastated after losing my mother - her daughter - almost seven years ago. Her strength was an inspiration to to anyone who came in contact with her, from her day's growing up in Oklahoma with Cherokee roots, putting herself through college, becoming a teacher, and buying her parent's a farm, surviving the Great Depression, to marrying my Grandfather right before he went off to war, and migrating to California during WWII to wait for his safe return: without a doubt, she is my hero. Some of you may know that in the last two years I have really put work on the back-burner, and have cut my traveling as much as possible to be by her side as her health was declining. Up until a few days ago, I don't think I ever really believed there would be a time when she wouldn't be here anymore, probably because when that happened, I would be the only one in my family still in the mortal realm, and also because to me she was indestructible. Now that she's really gone, it's crushing.