Thinking of Grace and how much we all miss her on this anniversary of her passing.

"Life isn't about how to Survive the Storm, but how to dance in the rain" and how she danced!

In Living Memory of Grace from Jack Jawitz, 11-07-2009 Graces e-mail name was AMAZIN, with a 'Z'. She knew she was amazing, and everyone who knew her knew she was amazing. She lived more life in her 51 years than most live in twice that. Her adventures started as a teenager, I know this because she often retold the tales. From Ballooning - she was an expert - explaning to me how her sun Bleached hair blew in the wind differently at each altitude. It gave her a great advantage in winning races because she adjusted the balloon altitude to get the best wind direction to her destination. Everyone who knew Grace loved her, we recently met an old Friend of hers she had me fly my small plane into a small grass strip airport in the middle of nowhere. We met Billy Balloons as she called him to me. It was like the two of them were children again recanting old memories. Then Billy Balloons brought out a newspaper picture, of Grace as ateenager, in a balloon he had kept framed for over 30 years. It was heart warming to watch her rekindle old memories and friendships. She told me of sailing through the Carribeans, through hurricmes in a small sailboats she navigated. She was Fearless, saving boat and crew, and was proud to have done this. She lived for years in the Staniel Cays, Bahamas, she learned to live among the locals, diving for and eating couch. They took her in as their own, watching & protecting her. Her adventures were as courages as exciting. We spent hours looking at her books of the Greek Islands. I heard the stories of memories left behind and her dream to one day return. Her life was not all fun and easy, never bearing children she ultimatly divorced Bob. Although she still loved him. So proud were we when she finally stopped the pain medicine started after a broken foot. She fixed her house to findlly get some real income to become self sufficient. She overcame many issues and personal demons. She was very strong when she set her mind to it. She knew she was loved by family and many friends. She was learning to fly. And as a balloonist, a small airplane was a natrnal step. She was my copilot and every trip was an adventure. We flew east to the Bahamas and as far north as Kentucky as for west as Dauphin Island, Alabama. And as far south as Key West. A recent trip to Ceder Key with Wilma and of course to St. Augustine for the Wedding. She was a great copilot and navigator, we traveled all over Florida. We had many adventures to Panama City, Appilacicola, Miami, and locally to Lakeland. To Venice and our last flight to lunch in St. Petersburg. Never turing from adventure, we saw King Tut in Los Angeles and the Aquarium in Atlanta. To Her, Life was a continuses Adenture and she Lived and Loved Life so much. No story about Grace is complete without talking about her Hats. For a trip to the store around the corner or a transcontinetal fight, she dressed up to kill and always wearing a most beauitfiul Hat. And always turning heads this was her trademark, her signature look. I will miss visiting Hat shops. 2 weeks ago, she took her final voyage, her last adventure, to travel the Heavens with the Angles. Those of us who knew her have been blessed for that oppontrinity. Those of us still here, especimly the younger among us have the responsbility to remember and pass on to the next generation what was in Graces heart. It was pure kindness, pure spirit, pure determantion and pure love. As I said in the beginning she knew she was Amazin, We knew she was Amazing and now the Heavens & Eternity know she is Amazing. My Beautiful Amazing Grace, please get some rest on this last adventure and know you are Missed and Loved.