Get up, go to work, drive home, do chores, watch TV, read a little, talk with friends, go to bed, do the same thing over again the next day. My life easily falls into this cycle. I often forget about the other important things in life. Sometimes I realize this too late.

One of those realizations came last week when my family laid to rest my great-grandmother Gertie Evans. Grandma Evans spent most of her life in Mount Airy. She lived a good, long life, passing away at the age of 98. I am not sad for her, because I know she was ready to go. I do, however, mourn missed opportunities.

Let me explain. It has been a little more than nine months since I began working for The News, and I have encountered some wonderful people along the way. Several people have told me stories about my great-grandparents Keallie and Gertie. One man e-mailed me a picture of a shovel he used this winter that he had bought from my great-grandparents’ hardware store in Mount Airy many years ago. Another man told me stories about going fishing with great-grandpa.

I always had the intention of sharing these stories with my great-grandma and asking her to share some stories of her own with me. Great-grandpa Keallie died when I was fairly young, so I only have very vague memories of him. Great-grandma could have told me better than anyone about my great-grandpa and about what Mount Airy was like years ago.

But in the past few months, I did not make the time to ask her about Mount Airy. I got caught up in the little things in life that really don’t matter as much as I thought they did. I told myself, “I’ll go visit her soon.” But soon has already passed me by. I had hopes of asking her about her ancestors. I wanted to learn more about our family tree and what life was like for her as a little girl. Now she is gone, and with her, go stories that I would love to have known.

All I have are my own memories, of spending Thanksgiving at her house, eating her scrumptious turkey. I have never met anyone that can cook as good as my Grandma Evans. I also haven’t met anyone as hard-working and determined as she was. Even later in life, she was determined to mow the yard herself and wasn’t afraid to crank up the chainsaw if needed. More recently, I remember Irish dancing for her on St. Patrick’s Day at the assisted living community where she lived for the past few years.

My great-grandmother was a kind, Christian woman, and I wish I had gotten to know her better. Our elderly relatives have many years of wisdom and experience on their shoulders. Those of us who are younger should honor them and listen to what they have to say. How often do we go about life spending all of our time on the little things and failing to spend time with our loved ones who may not be with us much longer? When they pass on, with them go a wealth of memories and knowledge.

It is a comfort to know that great-grandma no longer needs to talk about what great-grandpa was like. She is with him now. But how I wish I would have seized the opportunity to learn from her while it was still within my grasp.

Meghann Evans is a staff reporter with The Mount Airy News. She can be reached at mevans@mtairynews.com or at 719-1952.