Good-Bye Grace Bryant Scott

This past week has been a sad one for me. My grandmother Grace died Monday in her sleep after a long illness. She was born 92 years ago during a far differant time than now and she always remained a grand ladyof the Old South but not the one that resisted integration.
She was born into a differant class in Farrington, NC just outside of Durham NC and she never ever lost her sense of class and manners, trying like hell to keep her only grandson from losing the manners that his French mother and grandparents had put so much effort teaching this old alley cat, who can act perfectly well-mannered when I want. (My mother is reading this and going "All too true!")
This makes the end of a grand generation of grandparents for me. My beloved grandfather Leon Chopinet died 7 years ago, followed quickly by my grandmother Julia Louise. They also were fine people of quality, although not exactly born to the same class Grace was I firmly believe that had they met they would have become friends and even allies in the raising of a difficult child. (my mother would insert "Stubborn as a mule" with that)
I have yet to mourn at all for the three grandparents that loved me and tried as hard as they could to impart to this wayward alley cat some breeding, manners, and self-respect. The damnable restraint hammered into me by years of martial arts and emotional control that drives those around me who love me crazy (Mom, go ahead and say "Will you go on and cry already?") prevents me from doing so but that discpline and restraint are now so much a part of me that some of my friends literally grab me and shake me.
Those of you who have lost such wonderful grandparents, those stand-in parents who do so much to help their own children be good parents, can understand my feelings and how damned hard it is for me to express them. I miss Grace already and still miss Leon and Julia. But I draw immense relief imaging them in the afterlife, if there is such a thing, sipping on their favourite drinks, chatting and still keeping an eye on their wayward cubs, one especially.

Damn, how I miss them!