surrounded
When we arrived at my grandma’s house Sunday morning, I realized I forgot my sweater at the hotel. I’m always cold in air-conditioning. “Go get a sweater from my room,” Gram said. Just like old times, I wore a hug from Gram all day.
After a while, she said she was tired. She got herself comfy on the couch. With her favorite daytime television shows providing easy-listening background noise, she nodded off. We ran out to do some errands.
When we got home a few hours later, Gram was still asleep. I checked on her a few times as we unpacked bags, making sure her chest was rising and falling.
When I came into the living room to check again, she started to open her eyes. “Gram?” She winced a bit and reached out her hand. I sat next to her on the couch, holding her hand in mine and talking to her. Her eyes were open, but she wasn’t looking at me. She was looking past me, through me.
Gram mumbled something. I think it was in Italian; I wish I knew what she said. She squeezed my hand. I knew what was happening. Her labored breathing and unfocused eyes seemed to make it evident.
I called my mom, and she gathered the family.
With all of us—her children and grandchildren—surrounding her, Gram was smothered in love. We held her, prayed over her, and thanked her. She mumbled again.
And exhaled one last time.
I held Gram tightly and told her I love her. Amid my sobs, all I could think was, “I wonder what Grandpa said to her. And I wonder what she was saying to him…”
God bless you alece, I’m praying for you right now and your family. Sending you love and prayers …
Hey lady. I want you to know that I am thinking about and praying for you and your family. I am so, so glad that you were there to say goodbye and spend this time with your Gram and she was able to peacefully join her Father and husband while surrounded by the love of family. I love you much.
thanks, friends… i appreciate it.
I’ll be praying for you and your family. I remember watching my grandmother take her last breath and the emotions that came with it. One of the things that was sketched in my memory from that long night was how peaceful she looked after it was over… I pray that you all will find comfort from God over the coming weeks.
Oh Alece, I’ll be praying for you and your family. What a moment for you to experience with your Gram….love you lots!!!
Alece, I’m so glad you were able to be there with her. This is a beautiful post. Love you.
i am so glad, too. man oh man, that’s been a prayer of mine for years.
I saw the title of this post and I hesitated to read it. I came back later because I knew what you were writing about. But you made it very easy to read.
It is good that your prayer was answered.
so proud of you for posting this…
I’ve never been great with words at times like this…
sooooo
((((hugs))))
…danielle – trevy’s mom
i wonder what grams and grandpa are talking about now…
so beautiful…
and you are beautiful alece. thank you for letting us be a part of this with you.
Wow. And to think this happened on Sunday and I’ve “seen you around” and you never let on.
While we know she is in heaven, it still makes me sad for you. I am so glad you got to be there with her. So glad. I hope I am that lucky one day with my own.
love you. lots and lots of hugs.
Praying for God’s comfort to surround you and your family during this time. I love you and praise God for the opportunity for you to spend some time with her. Thank you for sharing Gram with us.
Wow. Thank you, Alece, for sharing this.
She’s left the shadowlands and has entered reality.
What a blessing…FYP…
my dear friend! thinking of all of you during this time and keeping you in our prayers!
lots of hugs xxxxx
love you!!
Well, I’m going to echo all of what was said earlier.
And add that you’re not the only one who would *really* appreciate that hug right now. It’s so bittersweet to be there for someone’s last moments.
Aaaaand, transferring to e-mail.
But I love you, and am so encouraged by your Gram stories. Know that.
Praying for you during this time, and that you will continue to stay in that Holy Spirit bubble for the next days, and weeks. Love you Alece, you are an inspiration to so many.
God bless, and thank you for sharing.
I didn’t know you had her sweater on all day. I remember hearing everything but that on Sunday. Maybe it was because the phone kept cutting out every so often.
You know, you do possess some of her facial features.
I can’t imagine what that day felt like. Did it feel slow or like a fast blur?
I love you.
angie — really? the title gave it away? it’s wonderful that my prayer was answered! god is good.
mandy — proud? why?
danielle — thank you for that hug.
tam — thanks for caring enough to want to be part of it with me. and i so wonder what they’re talking about now…
bran — i’m sorry. i wasn’t at all trying to lead people on or anything. writing about it in bits and chunks has helped me process in a way (i think). i couldn’t bring myself to just write a post that shared about her death without first sharing the bit more of her life that i got to experience.
ayles — thank you for all your prayers; it means so much.
michelle — indeed. she has left the shadowlands. i wish i could see what she’s seeing and feel what she’s feeling.
melissa — thank you. you are so sweet.
roo — being there in that moment was unbelievably hard. i never had thought of what the physical factors would be, and that was more than i could handle. i have images and sounds in my head i wish i could erase.
debs — thanks for saying i’m an inspiration. i don’t feel like it, but i appreciate the sentiment in your words.
becca — it felt unbelievably slow. especially since it took 3 hours for them to get clearance (something about getting a doctor to sign the death certificate) to remove her body. i couldn’t be in the house and pretend she wasn’t still there, sitting on the couch. some family members moved on, started cooking dinner, joking in the other room. and i don’t judge them for that, i just couldn’t do it. if i wasn’t on the phone (and standing in gram’s bedroom for that) or helping to change my dad and brother’s airline tickets, i had to sit in the living room with gram. and look at her. it passed by unbelievably slow.
Me too, Alece. I lost my grandmother a few months ago…she was 95.
I suppose we’ll know soon enough. What you said to Becca, I was the same way with my grandpa. It was hard to leave the room, I just wanted to stay with him and wonder…
I’m asking for God’s comfort and shalom.
i’m sorry to hear about your grandmother’s recent passing… you are on my heart. thank you for asking God for “shalom” for me. i need it…
nothing broken, nothing missing.
Maybe it wasn’t specifically the title… but I knew this post was coming soon. So when I saw ’surrounded’ I immediately pictured Grams with people all around here and my brain made the conclusion…
her – not here.
and she was. surrounded, i mean. that aspect of it was beautiful. i wish i had a picture of that moment because it was incredible, with all of us around her, touching her, loving her.
And on a Sunday… precious. Puts a whole new perspective on the phrase “do not forsake the gathering together of the saints”.
Well, even if you don’t have a photgraph you have left an impression on my mind, on the minds of your readers, that I am sure will not fade any time soon.
one of the reasons i felt compelled to write and share the incidents of those 2 days the way i did was to help imprint them on my mind.
in fact, on saturday night, as gram sat around reminiscing and saying sweet things about grandpa, i pulled out my (moleskine) notebook from my purse and took notes. i didn’t want to miss — or forget — a thing.
Ah, the revered moleskine… perfect. I have been meaning to get a real one of those. In the meantime the random flip books will just have to do.
It is a good thing you took notes.
i’m glad you knew what i was talking about. i love my (2) moleskines.
Are they holy? (designated and set apart for specific purposes) :-)
unbelievably hard will get better, my alece.
i promise.
it just might take a long, long time (which is hardly encouraging…. but it’s all i’ve got.)
and catching both ‘lece AND @ngie online = good deal.
angie — my moleskines aren’t holy. i use them to jot down things my dying grandma is saying as well as lyrics of songs i want to look up, shopping lists, and random things i want to email my friend spooner. ha. maybe that means they’re holy and set apart for the purpose of… everything i don’t want to forget.
roo — i know… thanks… for some reason, sitting here now, tears have started again. and i’ve been running on empty since sunday night…
:) i’m crying with you, friend. your memories have brought back a flood of my own. it’s been a month and a week shy of three and a half years since i witnessed a very similar incident.
were you there?
Well I am surprised. The great rationer is not rationing her precious pages. Good for you. Random is good.
hello roo. :-)
very yes.
i spent the night in the chair by his hospital bed, and mom and aunt amy woke me for the last few minutes. i remember him saying “home…” and then… well, it took a bit. and that’s the part i am still trying to erase.
I am all ears roo.
I have never been in the room when someone has passed.
and hola, amiga mia.
mi querida chiquita
(my dear sweet little one)
:-)
it’s forever imprinted on my brain. i’m so glad i was there, yet i wish i could forget most of it. but it’s so easy to remember, and hard to forget (separate ideas, if that makes sense).
angie — yeah. i guess you’re right. it’s a bit odd that i’m not rationing my moleskine pages. i figure i already paid for them, and precious (and costly) as they may be, i’m going to fill them with the randomness that is my life.
roo — i had no idea that you were there. you never shared that with me before. having just been through it, i’m so sorry friend. i wish we could hug and cry together right now. i know the “horrible” that you’re trying to erase. i’m trying to do the same.
i feel like a mess inside. i feel like i already was before this, and now this on top? oh my cow…
just cry babe
oh, my love… i understand.
i’m so glad that you’re able to feel. i had to spend the day pretending nothing happened… and trying to recognize that something had happened.
it’s something i don’t share often. because of the part of me that wishes it hadn’t happened like it did.
I’ve never been in a room where someone has died either.
angie — thanks for that “permission”. i wish i had someone to cry with. maybe that’s lame. or a cop-out. or something…
roo — thank you for trusting me with your heart. i love you.
becca — i hope you never are…
Alece, when Jer’s Mom passed away a couple of months ago it was very similar. She looked right through us and I believe right into the face of the Lord…just know ur not alone in this by any means…and yes, you are quite an inspiration!
Becca: You look so familiar to me…do you live in Oregon?
:)
yet the onl night owls are your blogging buddies?
nothing is anything when you are going through the emotional stuff you are right now.
you have my permission to not analyze yourself either.
i echo that, alece… but … yeah. it’s hard to leave it at that, because i’m so glad i shared those last moments with my family… but mostly i do think it wasn’t worth it.
(becca — and yet… to be with my gram in that moment when she went from “absent in the body to present with the lord” was… priceless… but really, i hope you never find yourself in that situation.)
debs — wow. i’m glad/sorry you experienced that with jer’s mom…
angie — thanks for the reminder (a.k.a. permission) not to analyze myself. i do that too much as it is.
roo — yeah – i had to follow up my comment with an addendum as well.
I love that you shared such an intimate circumstance with us. I kinda feel like you were sitting on my sofa telling me.
I wanted to ask you… who is the him in the last line of your piece. Because when I read it I thought you were referring to the Lord – but it is linked to the previous piece you did…
thank you, cindy. thanks for wanting to share in this moment with me, as hard and heartbreaking as it is for me.
Alece-
I went to the the beach today like most mornings and I found this feather. I had already been crying to God about how wonderful He was and praying over you and gram’s homecoming. As I twirled the feather it fell and swept away in the ocean’s surf..
At that paticular moment a peace washed over me like the surf… that everything’s going to be alright.
Guess what??
the feather came back to me.
Just like the memories of Gram.. they will come back and alive and will wash over you with giggles and strength from a brilliant woman to another and so will His unstoppable peace.
Alece~ I wish I could hug ya.. Know that I’m lovin on ya from afar.
angie — i meant my grandpa. because my grandma, not even 24 hours before, said that she wondered what he’d say to her when he saw her, and what she’d say to him. that’s what her mumbling made me think of… their dialogue had already begun. (especially since it was — i’m fairly confident — italian.)
heidi — thank you. thank you for praying so sincerely and heartfeltly (?) for me, basically a “stranger” to you. i feel so utterly humbled by that. and thank you for sharing this with me. my heart needed it.
we’re leaving florida tomorrow to fly back to NY. we spent the week making funeral arrangements (cremation followed by a burial in a few weeks in NY, with my grandpa), sorting through gram’s belongings, and clearing out her room. it’s been emotional and draining. i’m ready to leave. but i’m sad to close the door on this whole part of my life.
yeah, i’m sad tonight…
ah – yes. thank you for clarifying.
Heidi – That is beautiful.
Make sure you ask for that sweater..
Keep it close.. Remind yourself of how special she was. It’s okay to feel sad, It’s okay to cry..
Oh yea… we are far from strangers by the way!!
i have it. i will keep it for a very long time…
good.
and it is ok that you are sad.
it seems like an oxymoron, but it is actually good, as has been stated earlier, that you are feeling and not numb.
heidi — i know we are far from strangers. we’ve had comment conversations and swapped wonderful emails and shared our hearts with one another; and for all that, i am grateful. thank you for being a friend.
@ngie- it hit on the nose!!
angie — i’ve felt numb the past few days… sunday i felt more than i wanted to. and then i turned it off, i think. i’m coming back into “feeling”… thanks for reminding me that it’s good.
I must be tired
@ngie hit it on the nose!
WE still need to find a comfy couch in USA or SA and sip our lattes. But yes friends .. I love that the most.
( thank you for being a friend…the Golden Girls theme song just went flyingthrough my mind… no disrespect intended… it is so very amazing to me the closeness that is created through the exchnge of thoughts, prayers, experiences, etc here on line.)
heidi — i truly hope we can do that someday.
angie — ohhh, golden girls…
there must be lattes in heaven because I have so many people I want to sit down with from all over the world
Thanks alot @ngie, now I am going to be humming that song all night..
Loved that show!!
st. arbucks has gotta be in heaven!
Ha! Thank Alece. :-) I liked it too.
(we lost your face, heidi!)
Ha! St. Arbucks! That is rich!
that he is.
I am sorry for your loss. Your grandmothers faith has seen her through her final trial.
That is a beautiful picture, your grandmother surrounded by her loved ones.
It is amazing how the two of you share that same great smile. Her legacy lives on in you.
I wonder if she dropped her hankerchief yet?
Whst time is your flight?
ed — thank you for saying i have her smile. that means more than you know… and you’re absolutely right: my gram’s faith got her through everything.
heidi — your comment made me cry… with a smile on my face. thank you…
angie — we leave tampa at 3:30 PM and get to long island at 6:00…
You know that post really taught me some stuff on appreciating my husband a little bit more.
really?
one more day there.
one day at a time.
yeah…
yeah.. I’ll tell you about it someday.
One day a time was a good show too!!
Am I dating myself here?
I have had the same feelings of increased appreciation too, Heidi.
Just today I was asking DaRonn (my husband), “Do you think it is cruel that the benefit I gain of watching other people suffer is that I become profoundly grateful for the goodness of God in my life?”
We are currently watching some dear people go through some hard things; you included my dear Alece.
Sorry Heidi – I don’t know that show…
heidi — email me???
angie — i don’t think it’s cruel at all. benefit all you can and i will try to do the same.
But you know what @ngie, God is in everything.
Through Alece’s processing, we as her friends are processing too.
We are seeing pictures that we may have been taken for granted
Oh my gosh I am old.
It was a late 70’s show with valerie Bertonelli
well dearies…
it is time for me to go…
sleep well all. if we don’t catch eachother before, Alece, have a good flight.
please, please, please let me know if there is anthing else I can be doing for you. email me if there is.
I love you, Alece.
FYP… right now.
thank you, angie. i so appreciate you. g’night, friend.
see ya @ngie
are you packed??
what are doing for you?
How are you feeling physically?
packed? no. we have 2 huge rubbermaid bins of grandma’s stuff that we are taking back to NY with us that we still need to repack securely as well.
what am i doing for me? this. right now. i’m talking online with you and a dear friend.
how am i feeling physically? on the verge of sickness, as usual. my mom and brother both got fairly sick this week; thankfully i didn’t get hit with that as well. i’m tired. and drained.
thank you for asking…
So you wanna know what your post did for me?
yes, definitely. either here or via email… whatever you feel comfortable with. but i would love to hear…
I’ve been married a month short of 19 years.
Honestly and transparently, not all those years were all that wonderful.
I thought about the hankerchief line through my head so many times.
How many times should I have dropped mine.???
How many times in the last month have I flirted??
Held his hand??
He’s been sick and I have been so transformed into the what ifs and the normal rut and grind of having teenagers…. that I forgot to drop the hankerchief..
Does that make sense?
yes yes yes… perfect sense.
i needed to hear that. i needed that challenge for me. i’m going to tuck away that mental image with all the others from my week. i need to drop the handkerchief in front of niel more often than i do…
thank you for your honesty and transparency… i appreciate it immensely!
(is there any wonderful in your present?)
(is there any wonderful in your present?)
Meaning is there wonferful things in my life???
yeah – you said “not all those years were all that wonderful.” i know you’re going through some HUGE challenges right now… i’m just wondering if there’s anything “wonderful” amidst the challenges in your marriage… that may be a conversation for somewhere else and some other time.
Yeah…
Paul still takes my breathe away….
His hand still makes me tingle ……….
His eyes glisten……………………….
and I cannot fall asleep until I hear his snore….
He’s a devoted father and husband.
I love him so much..
not good timing… but i am going to head offline. i need to get some sleep and it’s already 12:30 here. early for me, i know… but my eyes are so heavy tonight. let’s catch up via email soon, heidi. you are dear to my heart. thanks for everything…
wow, heidi… that is so beautiful. what you wrote? man oh man… that made my eyes well up.
maybe dropping your handkerchief means telling him those very things???
yeah it does..
I’m going to do that right now..
Love you friend
Good Night.
Prayin and lovin on you
tell me how it goes, ok? i’d love to hear a real-life handkerchief story.
thanks for your prayers and love. g’night.
My sincerest sympathies on your loss, Alece. I know you’re hurting. (((big hug)))
The story of the woman washing Jesus’ feet with her tears in Luke 7 has been on my mind a lot lately. The mingled tears and prayers of your family over your Gram…….. what a beautiful goodbye.
I was with my mother-in-law when she passed away. I was with a dear friend, a new believer, only 7 hours before she went to be with the Lord. As a friend said, that’s holy ground.
Cry, cry and cry some more. What a relationship you two had. Thank you for the privilege of “meeting” your Gram through this blog, Alece. I really look forward to meeting her someday.
Oh Alece. There is nothing for the moment but sincere tears and sympathy. There is nothing like the vast separation of death. Yet we have this hope on the other side …
I feel so behind the times, the email just came through today. You have been on my heart and in my prayers daily, and I’ll continue to do so. It’s amazing to see how vast your world of friendships is. What a blessing for you. God is good. Let me know if I can help in anyway. Love ya.
Oh Alece…….sending hugs your way! What precious moments you had to share with Grams….it was as though the Lord just knew you needed to be there for those! It’s those precious still moments that help us grieve but also help us heal and bring closure. I was close to both sets of grandparents, but particularly my mom’s side as we were always over there. I was honored enough to be close to them in their last moments…..not physically there when it happened but able to say goodbye in my own special way before. Had it not been for those moments I would have never felt complete. I was also lucky to have them know who I was and not in a state of confusion.
I remember at my grams funeral they had all the family view her first. I didn’t want to look because when she passed she didn’t look like Grams. I wanted to remember her how I wanted her to look you know? My mom came and grabbed me and said, “Sis please come and see her….” I remember telling my mom, “I am okay…..I want to remember her how I want to.” My mom just smiled and said, “Come!” With shaking knees I approached her casket and my mom said she will forever remember the sound that came out of my mouth…..I literally gasped for air and cried out, “Oh Grandma!!!” Grams LOOKED like grams….she was so beautiful and exactly how I wanted to pictured her. What was even more special is that she was wearing her turquoise suit that she wore to mine and Kev’s wedding! All my family was behind me and I just stood at her casket and wept and talked to her. My mom still talks about how that was such a special moment she’ll never forget. (I am typing this through tears now.) It’s strange, but my grams comes and “visits” in dreams. We sit and swing on her porch swing with our sweet tea……she looks like how I remember her, and I am always the age I am. We “catch up” and then I wake up. Talking to my mom she said she often has those same dreams. When Gramps died (shortly after which we are convinced it was because he just could not live with out her!) he took my hand and said, “I am going to see your grandma soon…..anything you want me to tell her?” It was so precious! Love those moments……sounds like you had some special ones with grams. Hugs my friend!!!
Wow, Heidi, I am so glad that you shared how the handkerchief story sparked a renewed appreciation of your husband.
How true it is that we need to continue flirting with our husbands. :-)
Another little convo I had with DaRonn yesterday was about the importance of celebrating the people in our lives. A marriage is on the rocks and the woman seeks me out and tells me after almost seven years she (a believer for twelve years same as her husband) is bored with her marriage. She is hoping for some spiritual solution and I ask her, “How often do you go out on dates?” She tells me that they have been on two since they were married and one of them was a marriage workshop at church. My jaw dropped and I had to suppress a laugh as I quickly informed her that a marriage workshop is not a date and that the reason she is bored is because they are not making it a point to have fun together.
Thank you, Alece and Heidi , for reminding us of the need to celebrate the people we love.
- – - – -
Maybe a chat room isn’t such a good idea, because then the conversation is not recorded for people to come back and read… hm…
I agree, @ngie! :)
i agree as well @ng & roo. i read through all of these comments this morning, and man did it touch me. hurt me. challenge me.
al: proud? bc it’s not always easy to wear your heart on your sleeve… be safe getting home.
Grandmas Rock. I saw that tee shirt somewhere. Prob at a Crackerbarrel. I cannot wait until I am reunited with Grandma. Well, I guess I can wait… its one of those things you can know but never really explain.
Thanks for this picture of love and grace.
Thank you for not hiding these thoughts in a chat room. I know it is necessary at times, I understand that need. But this has been a beautifully painful read…one I’ve needed.
Thank you.
Alece,
I am praying for you and your family. How incredible that you all got to be with her, especially that you were not in South Africa. She looked like such a beautiful, kind hearted lady, who was very loved by her family. You look just like her – same beautiful smile and kind eyes. Well you are in my thoughts and prayers.
God Bless you,
Jennifer Winn
what a blessing to be there with your family! My prayers, love and tears are there with all of you!
I agree…..if there was a chat room I wouldn’t be sitting here now choking back tears and learning wonderful lessons…. I think I need to go buy a handkerchief! For more reasons than one. ;-)
Oh dear sweet Alece, it hurts my heart to think of you sitting there weeping, but good to know you are processing it.
How I have come to love you and this place you have created and the wonderful sisterhood that takes place here.
My heart swells for you today.
I love what you said about thinking their dialogue had already begun (since she was speaking in italian). That picture you painted brought a smile to my face and was just amazing. I love it. Love you too.
I didn’t read all the responses…
all I can say and do is send you a huge hug and many prayers.. I know it is a hard time but also a time of knowing she is now with Jesus and it is all well. No more pain, no more crying… just peace… and Jesus… and your grandfather and love…
Thanks for sharing…
you look a little like her… i was looking at both of your pics up there.
Yes. I forgot to say. I can definitely see the resemblance. Especially in the smile. The way the eyes light up too. I’ve been thinking about you today.
no doubt that Gram and you resemble.
Hope your flight was well…
loving and praying today sweetness!!
lisa — wow… thank you for coming back again to share what you did. you are so special to me…
annie — “yet we have this hope.” and to that, i cling.
christen — i agree on the vastness of friendships that blogging has opened up for me. it amazes me still. i am very blessed…
sarah — thank you, thank you, thank you for writing all you did. i love you and wish i could give you a hug and we could cry together! those dreams you have??? aMAZing!
gigi — you shared some great nuggets. i love hearing the conversations that were sparked with your man! and you’re very right about the downside of a possible chatroom…
mandy — thanks for being proud of me.
ric — grandmas DO rock. thanks for your kind words.
michelle — “a beautifully painful read…one I’ve needed” — me, too! are you doing ok?
jennifer — what a surprise to see your comment. thank you for what you said – it means a lot.
faith — indeed! (and thanks for your prayers!)
brandy — “How I have come to love you and this place you have created and the wonderful sisterhood that takes place here.” — that meant so much to me today. i’ve reread that sentence several times, in the hopes that it would sink in. i’m amazed that you’ve “come to love me”, and i have to agree about the sisterhood that seems to have developed here on my blog. it is so precious to me… thank you for being part of it.
anna — thanks for the hug and prayers.
heidi — how’d the hankie drop go????
heart you.
Oh, and I must tell you….
I did a hankie drop of my own. ;-) Only, it was a scarf. Just sayin’.
Jake thanks you. ;-) hahaha!!
awww… you are so great.
tell me about your scarf drop!
Hugs to you too my friend…..I pray you and Grams have some sweet dream moments too. You know, I agree with the others…..you do favor her!
Your Gram is a beautiful lady. When I read your post I started thinking about her wrapping herself around you…making you warm like your sweater. How honored you must be to be to have been with her and your family right now. God is amazing.
I emailed you about the scarf drop. ;-)
I read this touching post – and your comment to Roo’s response. My heart goes out to you. And, as always, to Roo. :) I have been through this twice with my own parents, and others as part of my work experience. I will say that God’s grace, the healing process, and the passage of time, will help to ease the memories of the physical changes you were there to see. I do believe that your Grandmother was blessed by the presence of her loved ones here – surrounded – (in your words). And then she was ushered into the presence of her Lord and Savior. What a beautiful home-going that must have been.
Love you.
I read this touching post – and your comment to Roo’s response. My heart goes out to you. And, as always, to Roo. :) I have been through this twice with my own parents, and others as part of my work experience. I will say that God’s grace, the healing process, and the passage of time, will help to ease the memories of the physical changes you were there to see. I do believe that your Grandmother was blessed by the presence of her loved ones here – surrounded – (in your words). And then she was ushered into the presence of her Lord and Savior. What a beautiful home-going that must have been.
Love you.
I read this touching post – and your comment to Roo’s response. My heart goes out to you. And, as always, to Roo. :) I have been through this twice with my own parents, and others as part of my work experience. I will say that God’s grace, the healing process, and the passage of time, will help to ease the memories of the physical changes you were there to see. I do believe that your Grandmother was blessed by the presence of her loved ones here – surrounded – (in your words). And then she was ushered into the presence of her Lord and Savior. What a beautiful home-going that must have been.
Love you.
I read this touching post – and your comment to Roo’s response. My heart goes out to you. And, as always, to Roo. :) I have been through this twice with my own parents, and others as part of my work experience. I will say that God’s grace, the healing process, and the passage of time, will help to ease the memories of the physical changes you were there to see. I do believe that your Grandmother was blessed by the presence of her loved ones here – surrounded – (in your words). And then she was ushered into the presence of her Lord and Savior. What a beautiful home-going that must have been.
Love you.
I read this touching post – and your comment to Roo’s response. My heart goes out to you. And, as always, to Roo. :) I have been through this twice with my own parents, and others as part of my work experience. I will say that God’s grace, the healing process, and the passage of time, will help to ease the memories of the physical changes you were there to see. I do believe that your Grandmother was blessed by the presence of her loved ones here – surrounded – (in your words). And then she was ushered into the presence of her Lord and Savior. What a beautiful home-going that must have been.
Love you.
I think she was telling HIM she was ready to go, and to keep you in HIS shadow.
Love you and keeping you in my prayers..you are an amazing woman. (Princess)
I’m so glad you were there- and at the same time I’m so sorry you’ve had to experience so much heartache. I love you- big hug…
BM — i loved loved loved your scarf story!
jean (roo’s mom) — thank you for your beautiful words… i appreciate you a lot.
darla — thank you for being an encouragement to me.
amy — i love you, friend…
I’m sure Niel will love love love the scarf trick as well. ;-)
i can assure you that he will! (and send me your address for that thank-you note…)
haha!! ;-) will do. Will do my friend. heehee
Leesh,
Whatever i say will be too little, too late but i only found this out today :-( ( Thank you Bwan ! )
I feel so ‘grateful’ you took your holiday/sabbatical and stayed over and were so close to Gram as you all said ‘Arrivederci’ one last time until the day comes.
I’m so grateful for knowing you also, as you have shown many times over here and in your mails and in life also that you are a truly remarkable woman in more ways that i can count! (not the least of which includes your humility)
love you and praying for you (belatedly) Leesh! :-)
Ciao- until we meet again!
<B
bub — thanks for your comment; i appreciate it a lot. your words bolstered my spirit this morning. thank you!