MIAGD: make it a great day  

“It was bought on the morn of the day that he was born, and was always his treasure and pride; but it stopped, short, never to go again,  when the old man died.”  from “Grandfather’s Clock”
My grandmother, Donna Mae Clary Barmes, bought me an emerald embedded clock, and a frame for my Mary Lincoln card d’visite.  

June 27, 1992, after several weeks of her final illness and battle with cancer, Grandma Donna passed away. 

When I returned to Dayton from Indianapolis, I walked into my bedroom, and the first thing I noticed was the setting sun shoving a glimmer into the room all the way from across the hall.  I’d never noticed it before.

Even more peculiar was the natural spotlight was resting on the clock and frame.  As I examined closer, I discovered the clock had stopped just short of 2:30 PM. 

Grandma Donna had passed away just before 2:30 PM. 

Every June 27th, I remember the clock, and at 2:30 PM, each year, I play “Red River Valley,” my grandmother’s favorite song. 

There was nothing too sacred that could not have an element of humor, and life was dull without pranks.  I’m so glad both Grandma Donna and GrandpaLeroy came from families that valued humor, and so much laughter.  

We might shed a tear for those we miss, but if we fail to laugh, we fail to honor their memory.