One of God's tender mercies found it's way to us recently. It helped us remember what really matters most and gave us a sweet opportunity to enjoy the love that exists in families.
After years of suggesting and asking, my 90 year old grandma finally moved to Portland 8 months ago to be closer to us - her family. She lived alone in an apartment in a retirement home and all of us grandkids and greatgrandkids had the occasion to visit or talk to her much more frequently than years prior. She had been doing quite well for her age, and then we all noticed her beginning to grow weaker and frailer - just about the time my parents were scheduled to leave on a 2 week trip to Europe. Wanting to put my parents at ease while they were away, my sibling and I made a schedule and the once frequent visits turned to often and then to daily. Pretty soon those daily visits involved helping her with every task of daily living. We could tell that her time on earth was drawing to a close. And as her need for help grew more and more, our love for her did too. My parents made it home in time to see her through her last weeks, but honestly, I am grateful for their time away. It required me to step out of my "busy" life for a while and just serve. And that serving was my tender mercy - those hours of cooking, dressing, cleaning for and helping grandma to bed were some of my hours best spent in my life this far. Serving someone out of love truly does lift you and strengthen you. In a matter of days after my parents return from Europe, she fell into a deep sleep and never awoke. I love this lady. I am grateful for the chance to serve her and have that love deepen. I am grateful for the fond moments I can reflect upon while I wait to see her again someday.
We took the trip to the Tri-Cities to hold a funeral for her and it was touching to see our children look at Great-grandma during the viewing with smiles and good memories in their hearts.
Her passing helped refine even more the love that I have for all the wonderful people in my life.
My amazing Father - I just LOVE him.
My mother is LOVE personified. No one does it better then she does.
My brother gave a beautiful graveside prayer.
Do cousins get any cuter than this?
Bo always pays attention to the little things
Luke just like attention period 
Cole is our typical boy - being too rough with the flower, now he has to find a way to get the top back on!
We love you Great Grandma. Thank you for moving closer, even if it wasn't your favorite idea. Thank you for letting us be near you and love you. It has truly blessed us far more then we probably blessed you. We miss you. 
1 comments:
Mandy-I'm catching up on all your blogs here and made the epic mistake of doing it at work. TEARS. This post touched me so, as I still mourn the loss of my dear grandfather and hold close his final hours. Your family, is so amazing to me. As many years have passed I still love them all dearly. xoxo
Post a Comment