Grandma Elizabeth

My last blog entry was 1-11-11. That morning I woke up and thought about my wedding anniversary and how good God is to provide me with that blessing. That evening, before I went to bed, my dad called with the news that my 92 year old grandmother (on my mother's side) had gone to be with the Lord. Despite my tears, I still was reminded that God is good. After a decade of dealing with dementia & senility, it was a blessing to know, that Grandma would not have to suffer anymore. The grandmother I once knew has actually been gone for a long, long time.

So bear with me as I share a couple of things that struck me as we shared in a memorial with friends and family this weekend.

1. I learned a lesson. In my short life, I have been very protected, blessed, and sheltered, and therefore, I have very little experience with death or grief. I honestly did not know how much a letter, a note, a phone call, or a box of flowers can impact someone until I saw the effect that it had on my own mom. I feel terrible that in the past as friends or acquaintances around me have dealt with death, I did not go out of my way to acknowledge them. These small gestures mean the world to those who are grieving, my lesson learned, is this, in the future, I will try to remember that acknowledging another person's loss is a true expression of love and kindness.

2. My grandma was not really herself in recent years, but I did have some time as we walked through her house this past weekend to remember what a gentle, quiet spirit she truly was. She was an artist, a painter, a teacher, a lifetime choir member, and piano player. And all of her gifts and talents were things she used to serve her church. That is the legacy I reap the benefits of, generations of church goers who loved the Lord and in turn loved others. I am so grateful for her quiet, yet faithful example. I will always cherish our Friday nights taking grandmas with us each week to her favorite local, now extinct Mexican restaurant, El Conquistador, with it's bull fighter murals and unending supply of tortilla chips. I will always remember grandma's stories of her teaching days and the joy that she expressed to me when I became a teacher like her and her mother before her. I will always remember her deep appreciation for nature and that she knew the names of all the flowers. And I will always remember her sitting on her turquoise blue (her favorite color) couch, watching Wheel of Fortnune, while solving the weekly crossword puzzle in the paper, with her ratty, old springer spaniel, sitting loyally at her feet....