Legacy

I am missing my Grandmother today. Sometimes the feeling of loss is overwhelming. It's a feeling I had never experienced before she passed away. Loss grips my heart and squeezes tears from my eyes. I talk to her... telling her how much she is missed.

I suppose my grief is a result of our close relationship. We were 52 years apart in age but sometimes I felt like her best friend. We shared many enlightening conversations. We belly laughed together too many times to count. She shared her knowledge of cooking, sewing, gardening, and managing a home with me. She also loved my grandfather, her children, her siblings, her extended family, and her neighbors. She was gracious. A woman of inner beauty who radiated kindness to all who knew her.

Many times I would pop in for a visit with her and she would be reading her Bible. In her last six months of life, I read her Bible to her about three times a week. As I read to her, I realized the task was as much for me as for her. I was overwhelmed with peace. And joy. The process of caring for my beloved Grandmother fed my soul and filled my heart. It gave me a purpose. 

She passed away at the end of July. I still can hear her voice. I still love her and I think about her every day. She lives on in my heart. My prayer is she will live on in the way I love my own husband, children, siblings, family, and neighbors. 

In Christ she sleeps. In Christ she will awake. Until that day, I miss her. 

I love you, Grandmother.