May 10th half sweet half regular tea

I went to Florida early in May, where sweet tea is the norm and adding your own sugar is an unnecessary inconvenience. For most of my immediate family, sweet tea is too sweet so I became used to being the only one to order the sweet tea. The day we left however, my dad order a "half and half tea"--half sweet and half regular. It was the perfect blend and we all had refill after refill. This tea came from a little fish joint that hardly made any impression on anyone who walked by but for my family it had a special feel to it. It was one of my grandparents' favorites, although they hadn't been there in a few months. We all smiled as my dad shared the silliness of Grandma and Pops' usual order and talked about the lovely weekend we had had with our entire extended family. My dad had the task of telling their usual waitress that we were in town for my grandma's funeral, that she had been sick for a few months now. The waitress was just one person who knew my grandma, and who will miss her. The weekend was overwhelming to see all the people she touched; she was actively involved in her community and church and it seems she made an impression everywhere she went. I can only hope to have as many people pay respects when I pass on. Our family alone accounted for over 50 people. It's amazing to me that two people can lead to a family of that many, and that many wonderful people. I had an amazing weekend sharing stories and remembering Grandma with my cousins, aunts and uncles, sisters, nephews, Pops--the whole Christovich crew. Her life and her death brought us all together and she will always be remembered and loved.