Here Today... (part 1)

I've been thinking a lot about my grandparents on my dad's side of the family. They both have passed away, my grandma in 2006 and my grandpa in 2008. It's been an ok transition for me, even though I was very close to both of them. God gave me very special moments with both of them when they were nearing their time to go home to be with the Lord, and I am ever grateful for that.

My grandmother had COPD. Grandpa had cancer. I watched as unnecessary diseases ravaged their bodies, giving them both a shortened life.

Grandma never had the opportunity to meet my youngest daughter; my middle girl was a baby when she died. She gave her a unique nickname that no one else had taken to calling her. That nickname came up the other day and I was able to share with my middle girl--now 7 1/2--about her great grandma and the love she had for her, even as a wee babe.

God gave me a special gift in grandma's end days. She had been going in and out of delirium, and had settled into that state pretty much most of the time at the point that this event took place. One evening I went over to their house; grandma was permanently in her bedroom at this point. The TV was on and an old movie, "In The Good Old Summertime," was just beginning. Well, grandma started talking to me about the actors and actresses in the movie, commenting on how she loved this one, and really didn't care for that one, and how she adored Judy Garland and Van Johnson, the leading lady and gent in the movie. We had small talk during the commercials about everything from baby Miriam--or Mimi as grandma called her--to what was happening around the Grand Traverse area at that time. We reminisced, enjoyed the film, and I was given a priceless gift that no one can ever take away from me. 

When the movie was over, she was pretty much wiped out and the lucidity was fading once again. I took my leave with a cheshire grin inside my heart; one that beamed loudly into my soul of the unmeasurable gift I had just received. I will never ever forget my grandma. I miss her terribly. But the best thing is, I know I will see her again and that makes this life a little more worth living.