Posted by Megan
As mentioned in the last post, my grandmother, Virginia Madison Potocnik (my paternal grandmother), died on June 17th. She was 85 years old, just like my other grandmother who died almost 4 years ago (see my tribute to her
here). When I first read her obituary, I was filled with all the memories of what lies between the lines of the little summary of her life. It is like the dash in between the day we each arrived on this earth and the day we will leave (or have already left). My grandma’s is 1927 – 2012. There is so much packed into those 85 years, yet I only know a small percentage of them. Much of what I know will slowly fade and be forgotten, but there are some memories I will hold closely.
It is interesting to me that I am writing this tribute in a place that reminds me more of her than anywhere else besides her own home. Earlier this week, we moved to a city called Telavi. It is about 2 hours from the capital city of Tbilisi. Our colleagues will be moving here in September and already found a house to rent. We are staying in their soon-to-be new home for July and August. It is nestled in a quiet place on the edge of town. It is up the mountain just enough to keep the temperatures a little cooler. There is a mini forest right by the house and a nice road for walking through the forest. The roosters crow regularly throughout the day. The house is rather spacious and void of much furniture. There is something about the quiet, the peacefulness, the simplicity, the beds, the curtains, the atmosphere that remind me of my grandma’s home. It has been almost 3 years since I really spent time at her home, but it is a place I remember well. After she died, I looked at the house listing on the internet (it has been on the market for awhile) just to see some pictures of her place. I am glad that the place we are living right now reminds me of such a special place from my past. The only thing we need is a swing in the back yard to sit and enjoy the quiet, peaceful evenings and to eat ice cream bars from the well-stocked freezer just like at grandma’s house.
This house takes my memories back to the place where she cooked pot after pot of homemade noodles. I’ve never had any like them elsewhere (except for when my mother makes them…grandma taught her well!). I tried to make them once and completely failed. I hope to try again with some assistance from my mother next time. You just can’t understand how delicious they are! We used to tease grandma when she would come to holiday gatherings at my parent’s house that she wasn’t allowed in the door unless she had her noodles. She never forgot them!
While on the topic of food, I also associate Chicken Annie’s Fried Chicken with grandma. It was always when we were with grandma that we ate it. It was a family favorite! I especially remember the joy I had of eating it with her while I was in college. I had to drive by her town when travelling between my parent’s house and college. Grandma and I often met to eat Chicken Annie’s together. And we always timed it so we would get there near the time they opened to get the fresh chicken. It was also in places like this restaurant where my father and grandma fought over who got to pay for the family’s meal. Totally embarrassing, especially during the teenage years, yet always fun to laugh about it. I like to laugh about the waitresses who never knew who to take money from for the bill. Grandma was feisty. Dad tried to be nice and pay, but most of the time she had her mind made up about paying and you had to get out of her way and let her do it.
She was also very independent. My grandfather died almost 16 years ago, and she has been living on her own until the past 2 years. She did it all! And she was always caring for and serving other people on top of caring for her own family and home. She worked for 40 years as a cook at the local elementary school. If I remember right, the kids there knew about her homemade noodles too because I think she and the other cooks made them sometimes for the kids. She often volunteered at her church and was eager to help anyone out.
Grandma lived in a very small town, but she could have started her own movie rental business for the locals. She was well-stocked on movies and always willing to lend them out (but not without a fancy gold “Virginia Potocnik” label…I am always a fan of labels and organization!).
When I graduated from high school, my oldest brother’s gift to me was to go skydiving (crazy, huh!?!?...totally loved it though!!!!!!). We made a family outing out of the all day event. I jumped, along with my 2 brothers and 3 other friends/family, and my parents, 8-month pregnant sister-in-law, and my grandma were our “fans.” After grandma watched a few jumps, she really wanted to go too. She was about 71 at the time. If we wouldn’t have told her no, she might have just gone and done it! Had she been more physically up to it, I think she would have really done it, and we wouldn’t have been able to stop her.
Grandma Potocnik was the last of my grandparents to pass from this life. I guess that is part of the reason this one has been more difficult to process and let go. I knew when we left almost 2 years ago to come to Georgia that I might not see her again. However, God blessed me with the chance to see her back at Christmas and again in June. I visited her just 5 days before she passed away. She was in good spirits that day and although she has been losing her memory for awhile, she definitely knew who I was. She didn’t forget her “sweetheart” grand-daughter. She died peacefully. God is gracious.
She truly was a precious lady whom I am proud to call MY GRANDMA! I will miss her but am grateful for the time I have had with her on this earth. We will meet again one day in heaven! And when we are back in America this fall, I will wrap up in one of her beautifully hand-made quilts and remember her again and again until that day.
