My Grandma Frogley was the first person close to me that I lost, and thus, she is the one my thoughts turn to on Memorial Day. She passed away when I was thirteen which allowed me to have time to really know her as my grandma from a child's perspective. But I feel like she left before I got to know her from a more mature perspective, which means my image of her now is based on my childhood memories and stories that people have shared over the years.
She was a very beautiful person inside and out. She was tall and graceful. Her physical appearance was very slender, but she had a will stronger than I think anyone I've ever known. I remember her loving her soap opera, but my mother says that, although she had programs she loved, she never once sat down to just watch T.V. during the day. She was always doing something productive. She taught piano for thirty years and had up to as many as forty students which meant she taught after school every day and even Saturdays until two in the afternoon. Her musicality influenced every one of her children and has influenced my life very much. When my grandpa first started his business, grandma's teaching helped significantly. Grandpa says she had a weakness for chocolate. She would hide a box in her closet but still would not allow herself to have more than one a day.
She started walking in her forties to help her health stay strong, but walking wasn't enough. Eventually she began running. And running just a little bit turned into running marathons. I remember running being a big part of her life. She ran ten marathons before she died and always did well in her age division. She is my inspiration in my endeavors to run as well. Although I am not even close to the level at which she performed, I think of her often as I push through my hard runs or when I finish a race like the 24th of July 10k. She ran the 24th marathon quite a few times, and the finish line for me was very exciting because of that connection I felt with her.
Her running helped open doors to making close friends. Some of the strongest impressions I have of my grandma's house was lots of treats and soda pop for the grandkids to enjoy (my grandpa says he believes in buying a child's love with treats which really works by the way) but also of the door always being open and lots of people coming and going and always being welcome. Although she had an iron will, she had an understanding and compassionate heart that helped many people find a moments peace from their own troubles. I remember many people in her home but I have heard the stories as I've grown of the people she has befriended and supported through troubled times. She was a fiercely loyal friend to others and to her children as well.
One other small part of her life I remember is some modeling she would do. Like I said, she was a very beautiful person inside and out and was able to make some money because of it. Mostly I remember thinking it was weird when I would see pictures of her like the following where she would be with a kid who wasn't one of her grandkids, but the picture is trying to pretend that it's her grandkid. Or, when they would give her a different name or picture with a different man other than my grandpa.
Her picture is used in the movie "The Prodigal Son" that the church made almost 20 years ago. To this day, whenever I watch, it just seems weird when they refer to her as "Martha."
My grandma lived a good life that has blessed mine immensely. I am eternally grateful to her. I strongly believe that our family works very hard on our behalf beyond the veil and I have felt her influence many times over the years. I like to think of her as a guardian angel for me and now for my children as well. I look forward to the time when they can meet her face to face and we can spend time together again.
