What’s Inspiring Me: My Grandma

It’s been a rough August at Roseville Design since my grandmother’s passing early last week. The last several days have been jam-packed with reminders + life lessons, and I’ve been trying to lean into the emotion and take in as much as I can.

When sending her condolences via email, one of my brides wrote, ” …because many grandmas are stronger, wiser…versions of ourselves.” She hit the nail right on the head.

Kathleen Pitney was a force to be reckoned with, for sure. She was the president of the New Jersey Federation of Republican Women, on the Review Board of the NJ Supreme Court, a nationally recognized horticulturist, and so much more. She was full of grace, but would throw out a sassy remark that would knock you off your chair. She charmed her way out of a speeding ticket like a pro, and showed me love in a way that is hard to put into words.

{Pitney Farm}

But the sum of her parts is what I’ve been thinking about most. She pursued opportunities and pushed herself at a time when it was easy as a woman to just ride in the passenger seat. That’s the problem with risk; it’s always the harder path, and that’s why so many of us don’t take it.

When someone we love passes, we look at our own mortality and the choices we’ve made. But during times of grief, life can feel more like an opportunity than ever before. Though I know I’ve taken big leaps this year,  since she’s passed I’ve been pushing myself more to do things in the moment, and not accepting “later, when things settle down” as an acceptable response. Stupid things like unpacking boxes that have sat in my basement for too long, or giving my dogs that extra 15 minutes to their walk. Because with her being gone, I feel my Grandma in a new way. I feel her around me, and I’m trying to accept + embrace her new role in my life.

So today and moving forward, I’m vowing to keep doing. Sometimes doing means making decisions and not looking back. And sometimes it means reminding yourself the work will still be there tomorrow, but the moments to live should take precedence. This business was a leap of faith that has already paid off in spades. My only hope is that with this extra courage I’ve found, I’ll inspire my children + grandchildren as much as Mrs. Kathleen T. Pitney did for all of us.