Norma Lindholm
March 28, 1924 ~ January 14, 2007

Grandma,
Many of my earliest memories are of you.
From the many summers I spent time with you, to the card and board games you taught me, to playing in your house as I was growing up.
I remember you sharing stories from my dad growing up, hearing about how ornery he was, and some of the troubles he got into. Okay, the many troubles he got into. I mostly heard these when I was being scolded and you used my dad as an example to learn from.
Every time we left your house, you cried and waved at our car until we were out of your sight.
I learned cute and funny sayings from you that I won't soon forget and still say up until this day.
For instance, when we would all be in the car, and Dad would take a turn, you would lean on whoever was next to you and say "“This one'’s on you"”!
Or whenever a bug hit the windshield, you would say "That had to hurt!"”

Just seeing you be the person you were, helped me to develop into the person I really wanted to be.
You had a generous heart, and always gave of yourself to make others smile; something I try to do regularly.
You rarely thought of yourself and went above and beyond to make others feel at home and this is a trait of yours I am elated to have inherited.
It didn'’t take more than a few minutes spent in the same room as you to feel your warm sprit. I could see, just by looking in your eyes, how much you loved life. In fact, I saw that same brightness in your eyes and face up until the last day I saw you.
You were and always will be an amazing Grandmother, and great Grandmother.

There never was a day I walked into your home and didn'’t smell your amazing cooking.
From homemade jams and jellies, to your delicious Fried Chicken with all the fixings, homegrown tomatoes, new potatoes, cucumbers and sweet corn, picked fresh that day from the garden in your backyard and who could forget your delicious macaroni and cheese?
You had a natural talent for making those comfort foods that would cure any ailment, from a true illness to those of the heart, like a crush gone bad, you even had food that comforted me from a big pimple on my chin. And I loved that there was never enough butter in your recipes.

I recall often your spry sense of humor that made anyone with you laugh. Sometimes it was subtle, other times it was very outspoken.
You showed it often with my mom and dad, you sure had some serious spunk. It is something that I can see made it's way down the line to your kids and grandkids and great grandkids.
You had an amazing strength; a will and spirit that could not be contained. It was this spirit that helped you thru the last few months of your life. In fact, I see your spirit in my son regularly, especially when he wants to get his way. Some would call it stubbornness; I call it "“great-grandma'’s will".

In the face of adversity from your fall, the amount of pain you went through in the last few months you were trying to recover, and to every little ailment that tried to knock you down, you held on strong, and still tried to do your very best to keep a smile on your face. This is truly something that takes the strength only you had.
There is one fact about you, Grandma that is undeniable; you loved your family with every ounce of your being, without judgment and without reservation.
This is what made you special. What made you; YOU and what made us all love you.
You taught us, and for that, I am thankful.

I love you so much and will miss you even more,
Love,
your baby granddaughter,
Heidi Jo