If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.

-Winnie the Pooh –

My grandma’s favorite ride at Disneyland is the Mark Twain Riverboat.  She could ride it over and over (and over) and never tire of it.  We haven’t been able to take her to Disneyland in quite a few years and I know how much she wishes she could be cruising around the Rivers of America once again.  A few weeks ago, my grandma got bronchitis and her health has been declining rapidly ever since.  Two weeks ago, her doctor determined that she needed more aggressive treatment and admitted her to a rehab facility.  Today, the doctor determined that she wouldn’t ever be able to return home – next week we will admit her to an assisted living facility.  My grandma has lived with us since I was two, and the house feels especially empty tonight.

As I was looking through old pictures from our first trip to Disneyland, I discovered this one and I could vividly remember the joy we were feeling when this photo was captured.  As the years have gone on, and my grandma has become unable to travel with us, my mom and I typically opt to pass on the majestic Mark Twain.  But, whenever we are in the Park and pass the river, we take a silent moment to reflect on how much my grandma loves that ride and the pure happiness that you could see in her eyes whenever she was on it.

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