“Grief is kinda like birth only in reverse. You get the hardest feelings first and then
they spread out over time till you just hold the person in your womb with out pain,
but with love.” –Becky
November 8, 1914 – January 8, 2011
She was the “Salt of the Earth”
My 97 year old grandmother. She was so dear to me. She has been the “rudder in the waters of life” for my family, keeping us together. We knew she would leave soon but, it is always too soon.
She always spoke her mind, accepted what God gave her with such grace and always
saw the good in whatever was given. She was quick witted and “sharp as a tack”.
She read a book a day for as long as I knew her.
She worked hard during her lifetime.
She raised her brothers and sisters because
her mother passed away when she was a young girl.
She was a cotton farmer when she was younger and when she came to the city
she worked at a plant making tires. She was warm and gracious and always
made everyone feel welcome. She would make you laugh and see the humor in things.
She was the steady strong force in my life…she will be missed.
<3
I wanted to say thank you to everyone for your kind words and comments.
It has meant so much to me during this time.
I was not able to attend my Father’s funeral, which deeply grieved me.
I know through it all, it was a gift to me.
One gift I received was a phone call I received from my sister.
She told me the caregiver for my grandmother said my grandmother was
reaching up into the room. The caregiver ask her what she was reaching
for and she responded, “Ed”.
The caregiver asked her if she was reaching for Ed? My grandmother responded, “Ed”
“Ed” was my father, actually Edwin. My grandmother called him both Ed and Edwin.
My grandmother was my mother’s mom and my Dad knew her from the time he was a little boy. He used to throw the newspaper to her.
My grandmother was seeing my dad, who just passed away….he was waiting for her, along with my mother.
I know there is a celebration in heaven….
When my sister told me this story, it brought me great comfort.
This is a time of intense transition and change on every level for me personally.
I promise I have some new things to share soon….
stay tuned.
thank you <3
Marie, my heart goes out to you in this time of so much loss…take care…
Thank you Suzanna. I have tried to keep my little blog as a happy place
for sharing my art but, It has brought me comfort sharing about what
I am walking through now and your kind words mean a lot. Thank you <3
Oh, Marie, you have had a January…I love the part where your Grandmother was looking at your Father. I have had similar experiences and it only serves to strengthen my belief that there is a life beyond this one that we live. I know it’s hard on the living to be here missing loved ones. But you can take comfort in knowing they were there for each other, and it sounds like they both had fulfilling lives. Take care of yourself and give those girls, and that boy, extra hugs!!
I thought I would share the experience of what happened with my Dad and grandmother because I agree with you.
Those moments only reinforce and strengthen the idea that there is so much more than we “see” and that this place
we live, called Earth is but one stop along the way.
I know there is a grand celebration on a level that I have only seen a glimmer of. : )
I will give the children hugs and thank you for being here. <3
May you continue to receive comfort from the memories of your GrandMother!
It does bring me comfort to think of her wit and humor and
her beautiful smile. Thank you <3
Best wishes to you, Marie…
<3 Thank you so much for being here.
I am so sorry for your loss… again.
I wish i could give you a sincere, heartfelt hug right now.
These “transitions” are never easy, but i am glad you are finding some comfort here and there. I love that she was reaching for Ed. I love that you sister shared that with you.
Take care of yourself. And know that i am thinking about you, offering hope and comfort.
=-)
Wendy, thank you. I feel your warm thoughts and words/hug.
When I heard the story from my sister, it brought me so much comfort
to know my Dad was waiting for my grandmother. <3
God gives us comfort in being able to remember and cherish memories of our loved ones. Their lives live inside us, because they touched us deeply. I am thinking about you during this time of transition. May you feel God’s strength and his signs that he is with you.
I am comforted by your words…thank you <3
I am a somewhat new reader of your writing, but I very much want to send you my sincere condolences on the passing of both your father, and your grandmother.
I spent a great deal of time with my mother when she was dying, and I was there, when she died. She too, was visited by those close to her, who had passed on. It became so very clear to me when my mom died, that we are welcomed to the other side of life, by those whom we loved dearly, before. For my mom, it was her grandmother, who helped her most, through much of the transition during her final days, telling her it was time, and comforting her with songs she knew as a child. The last word my mom spoke, was Amos?, as a question. It was as if she were seeing, or hearing my stepfather, who had passed on before. I think, that knowing your grandmother’s story, must bring you a kind of peace, when you think of the timing your father’s passing. It came at the time it did, it seems, so he could help your grandmother with her transition. Also, at one point in time, on the day my mom died, my sister’s dog, who stayed close to my mom’s bed, and seemed to look out for her, (for we cared for her at home) all of a sudden went to the foot of her bed, looked up and started to bark, and bark. It was as if he could see something there, that we couldn’t. A part of me feels that my mom, left us then. It was so interesting. I’ve found comfort in having lived through all this. I hope that by sharing my mom’s story with you, that you will find continued comfort in your own family story.
I wish you peace.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, it did give me great comfort when I heard my grandmother
had seen my Dad, who had just passed away. If you knew him you would know that he would do something
like that…lead the way, so to speak. I agree about animals..they can see things we can not. I am sure your dog
was trying to say, “she is here” : )
Hearing your story is comforting and that is why I shared mine because I felt maybe it could bring comfort to some
one else.
I am happy you are following along on my little journey but, I have moved to “blogger”. I can be found
posting over here now: ancientcloth.blogspot.com/
Thank you again <3