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Thank you for the warm wishes, Dadaist, Teddy Bear, Sharniqua, dicksbro, fzzt, IAKG, Grumbleguts, and LixyChick. I needed them today.

A little information for the curious...my grandmother died Tuesday in a hospital in OH (USA). She came in with chest pains 11 days before...and caught blood poisoning, pneumonia, then had internal bleeding issues while in the hospital. She was even doing well on Sunday -- we were talking about checking her out of the hospital -- but things got bad really fast. She turned 83 the day before she died.

She was an amazing woman. Very strong and loving, and a living piece of history (more below). I loved her a lot, and this is a small tribute to her. I've put a little bit about her life below, for those who are interested in reading.

We spent today at the funeral home (planning the service -- which is Saturday with viewing on Friday) and at the church...including about an hour with one of the sisters and a priest ("briefing" them for the funeral). We sat and told stories...and I learned several things I never knew about Oma (grandmother in German)...including how she met Opa (grandfather), details of their escape from Yugoslavia, and how they made their way to the States. It was amazing...

Oma and Opa met in Jabuka in Yugoslavia. SHe was a Serb, and he is a Croatian. His family were farmers, and she was a city girl. They had a very unconventional romance (thier families disapproved) and courted for 3 years before they married.

Just as they married and settled down to have a life together, including having their first of two sons, WWII started and the Russians eventually occupied Yugoslavia.

They were placed in an internment camp when Russia occupied Yugoslavia, with all of their family. They worked until they were too tired or crippled to work anymore, then the Russians discposed of them. Oma's dad was forced to dig a hole and then shot into it after he couldn't work anymore. Oma's mom was placed in a ditch with water up to her chest and left there to die. Most of the rest of the family met similar fates -- and Oma and Opa got to walk by these places daily on their way to the fields.

They escaped the camp and walked to Austria, traveling at night, with a son (10, Hans, my stepfather) and a 1 year old child. They had no food most of the time. After several weeks, they arrived in Austria...where they were placed in a Catholic relief camp and got a weekly food ration and a job.

They were sponsored to come to the US by a farmer in IL. When they reached the States and the farm, Opa was put to work in the fields for 14 hours a day. The conditions were awful -- the farmer had no tools and had not worked the farm for a long time...he held Opa accountable for getting it into shape.

Eventually, Oma's brother (Josef), who had come to Mansfield, OH, about a year earlier, brought them to Mansfield and he started a career at Borden (14 years) followed by a career as a janitor at GM (for 20 years). Meanwhile Oma worked 10 hours per day as a cleaning lady for local doctors. She made 50 cents/hr plus a meal a day. After years of working, they raised two sons, sent one to college, own their home, have a fair bit of money in the bank, and have a good life. The American dream...arising out of a Russian nightmare. Amazing.

Oma, rest in peace. Your hard work and suffering is done.