Grandma

My Grandma has passed away....

Yesterday (Sunday), Steve and I decided to head to Iowa in the morning to be with my family. We didn't know how much time we'd have with Grandma, but we just wanted to be there - needed to be....

Little did we know, that 3 hours after arriving, my sweet Grandma would unexpectedly decline rapidly and peacefully, sweetly slip into eternity with Jesus....

We all thought there'd be a little more time than that, but it quickly became apparent that she was declining rapidly....

I've never actually seen anyone die before, so it was a surreal moment to see someone take their last breath...

But, I am grateful we had the opportunity to be with Grandma for a few more hours. It was just me, Steve, and my parents when she passed away. I am glad we were able to be there with my parents, too....

I am so grateful she didn't have to suffer for a long time, but rather that she lived 98 years and was able to live on her own until the last 2 weeks, when she was in the hospital...

I was also humbled and blessed to see my dear Mom and Dad as they lovingly laid down their own lives to minister to my Grandma. My Mom was so incredibly tender and compassionate...even giving her updates on the Cubs game that was playing, right before she died. They won! What a fitting end to my Grandma's life as an avid Cubs fan! :)

My parents thanked us repeatedly for driving up from KC to be with them, as they told us to stay home and didn't want us to 'waste the gas', etc., when Grandma wasn't responsive. However, our hearts were so there, and what is 8 hours of driving in one day anyway? It was so worth it to get to be with them/her. I kept thinking too...I remember when I was about 4, I think, and I got pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. My Mom had to keep working during the day, so my Grandma would come and stay with me in the hospital during the day and my Mom would come in the evening.......so, being with her yesterday in the hospital, was almost a 'returning of the favor' to that time so long ago. I remember all the times she made her fried fudgins, just for me. She was so excited to bless me this way when she knew I loved them, even though they took her all day to make. She was always giving, always loving -- being with her at the end, seemed so small compared to all she had given to me over the years. I was blessed to be with her and my parents.

I am so glad my Grandma didn't suffer and that she has gone on to her eternal home. But, I must confess that this morning my heart aches and the tears freely fall. It's so wierd to think of her as gone from this life. Especially since Grandpa died 10 years ago, she's just been so a part of everything we've done. She was always with my parents and if we saw them, we saw her. It will be so wierd to not have her around anymore. It's so hard to believe one generation of our family is now gone. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the reality of this...and all I know at the moment is my heart hurts, the tears fall, and I have difficulty expressing the ache in my heart.

She will be greatly missed....