Even though she hasn’t been well for the past year, she had been doing better recently and we thought that there would be time for our oldest granddaughter and her youngest son, to come home, from Florida, for a last visit. This was her wish but her time ran out.
My granddaughter and her father flew in on Saturday and while it is wonderful to see my granddaughter, it is not wonderful to have it be under these circumstances. It is not wonderful that someone had to die to bring them home. But, it seems like this happens. We get so caught up in living life and meeting our commitments that sometimes those things we should do or people we want to spend time with, get put off…and sometimes we run out of time.
In the big picture, I know that she is in a much better place. She is no longer in pain or suffering. She is no longer confined to a wheel chair. She is now free of this body that failed her.
While I am thankful for all of this, I am still sad. It is hard to see my granddaughters sadness and that of her husband and the rest of her family. I feel for my daughter, who could not come home for the funeral today and grieves the loss of this woman who treated her like a daughter. She adored my daughter and that did not stop when my daughter was no longer married to her son. I have treated my former son-in-law in the same manner. As the father of my granddaughter, I will always love him and have a relationship with him.
I think about this woman and all that she taught me with how she lived her life…with how she loved…with how she forgave…with how she believed.
As always, when someone we love dies, our perspectives change. In these moments, we are forced to stop and face our own morality. Things that we thought were important cease to be. Things that we thought were meaningless, show their significance.
Death pulls us to hug our loved ones a little bit tighter. Death forces us to see that we don’t know when our time on this earth will run out. Death causes us to let go of the trivial and to embrace the importance of people. Death reminds me that I might have unfinished business in my life and that it would be of my benefit and the benefit of others, to take care of these matters.
Today, as attend her funeral, I picture her climbing the stairway to heaven.
I picture her looking down proudly, at all she has left behind and saying "I did good." I picture her running through fields of flowers. I picture her beautiful smile and her laughter. I picture her singing and clapping her hands. I picture her dancing before Jesus. I picture her free.Here's to you my beautiful friend...this is not a good bye but an "I will see you later."...until we meet again...I love you.
26 comments:
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. She sounds like she was a wonderful woman. What a wonderful legacy she has left. Sending you comforting hugs.....
Oh, Lori, I'm so sorry for your loss. As Woody said, she sounds as if she was a wonderful, wonderful woman.
(((Hugs)))
I'll be thinking of you and your family today. So sorry about your loss. You captured so much of life and love in this post.
My sympathies for the entire family...seems like she will be missed. This is a great Tribute in her honor....
take care,
suz
What a beautiful tribute. So sorry for your sorrow.
I am sorry for your family's loss. This post was such a loving tribute to her.
I am so sorry. You wrote a very beautiful post for what sounds like a wonderful lady.
It is very hard to see those we love go through such pain. All you can do is hold them and help them through it.
How wonderful that she could leave behind such a positive impression. I'm sure she will be greatly missed. Perhaps one day, you can introduce me.
((HUGS)) We just have to be glad that such blessed people have entered our lives when they did
It's people like this that make life worth living.
This sounds like a very, very special person that has blessed a lot of lives...I am very sorry for everyone's loss.
i'm sorry lori for your loss, i too lost a special person last week, my childrens grandmother, my ex husbands mother, she was also one of the sweetest people i will have ever known. my deepest sympathy.
~cheryl~
She sounds like she loved well and was well loved. I'm so sorry to hear of her passing, but I believe you will see her later too.
Sorry for your loss, but appreciative of your perspective.
I'm so sorry for your loss. She sounds like a wonderful woman and I know that she was blessed to have YOU in her life.
Dear! I lost someone close to me last week too. My Aunt Zella passed away. She was in her 90s (quite a big gap between her and my mother, 30 years!) She was so full of life and viviacious. She raised 8 children and lost three of them to cancer. She lost her husband last year. She was always kind and warm and sweet and remembered all the important events in my life. And while I did feel a glimmer of sadness, I also felt so much joy for her to be with her loved ones again.
It is hard to tanglibly not have those we love near us. It's a hard part of living...
It was poignant for me because I wasn't able to attend her funeral. I had a wedding scheduled for the very day and, of course, couldn't get out of being the photographer. So I took photos of this young couple in love and thought about how the rest of my family was mourning my aunt, and I was too. It was the circle of life.
I hope you are your family are doing well.
I will certainly pass along whatever I might get from my brother. He says the most benefit was in learning to breathe properly. He has scoliosis and also suffered a sports injury in his back when he was young - I always remember he had trouble with his back - much as I've had with my neck. Now he says he's pain free and has incredible flexibility.
Very sorry to hear about the loss of your family member. I also like to think of them as being happy and healthy and pain free. When my grandad died (in his late '90's) i would picture him sitting on a bench, walking stick in hand, waiting for my gran...who joined him just a few months later.
Hugs to you my friend.
Lori, my heartfelt condolences in the loss of a woman who obviously meant a great deal to you. Isn't it amazing how God places certain women in our lives to show us how to be more loving,more accepting and just to be a better woman. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of this remarkable woman. Consider yourself hugged.
I am so sorry for your loss. Words cannot express how I feel about it at this time. Suffering a loss like that is so hard. The tribute was very moving. God bless you and your family.
Oh...I am sorry for your loss - but how beautiful this post and tribute is... (hug)
She must have been a great owman to have so many people around her who loved her, and that both of you had a great bond with your grandchildren;s other halves is lovely. I'm sorry she passed away, but glad you had each other in your lives. ((hugs))
I'm so sorry for you and your family's loss. I think this post is a wonderful tribute and the ending lifted my spirits. Wonderful words.
My heart broke when I heard. It still breaks my heart to know that my little niece is so sad. I am so happy that she is no longer in pain, and that she is with our lord and savior. :) I hope she is dancing in a field of daisies :) basking in the love and smile of JC :)
I'm getting here late because I've been gone, but wanted you to know I'm so sorry for your loss. It's so nice that you stayed close with her. HUGS to you all.
This was so touching. I will be praying for your grandaughter and her parents. What a sad thing to deal with at such a young age.
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