Blue Sky

Grandma Klenz passed away on the 5th of September. She put up a tough fight against cancer for the past year and a half. I flew home for the funeral, which was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am so glad I could be with my family as we remembered Grandma and celebrated her life. I have so many memories of her that I will always cherish.

Since I was little, I remember Grandma calling out, ‘blue sky,’ when the weather cleared up at the lake in Eagle River. After announcing this, she would then encourage us to get outside. Growing up I sometimes thought she secretly worked for the local tourist office because at times her ‘blue sky’ was just a tiny speck in an otherwise completely gray sky. Which then made me think that maybe she said this just to get us out of her hair (and house) for a while. Grandmas are entitled to a little quiet time just like everyone else and sometimes that time was hard to come by with 10+ family members in the house on cold or rainy days. But now, what I really think, is that this comment was her way of celebrating the little things in life. I think the blue sky brought her joy, even if it was only a little speck some days. On the day of the burial, there was a beautiful blue sky as we said our good-byes to her.