Goodbye to Great Grandma

On Wednesday, August 19th, Chris's grandmother passed away after recently being diagnosed with advanced cancer less than a month ago. On Monday, she was given a devastating prognosis that she would only live for another 2 weeks max. She made the decision to go into a hospice/palliative care program.

For the short couple of days in hospice, the staff kept her comfortable. We are thankful she did not suffer and went to be with God and her beloved husband (who passed away in December 2007), rather than suffer on this Earth with her severe illness.

The passing of my children's great grandma is devastating to me. I am saddened to think that my babies will not have memories of their great grandma. Sure Braeden spent a lot of time with her....she was always babysitting him, but he is still so young that I doubt he will carry on those memories of her. We brought him to visit her the night before she died. He started trying to climb into bed with her, and to occupy him, she reached on her bedside table and grabbed a couple crackers. After all, she knew the way to his heart (and to make him behave!) is through food.

On July 4th (before we even knew she was sick), she spent much of the day holding Ashlyn so that I could partake in the family football game. I am so glad that she had that time to bond with her great granddaughter. I am so mad at myself for not taking a picture of them together on that day...She definitely was very found of Ashlyn. When we visited her in hospice care, she was tired and weak, but opened her eyes and held onto Ashlyn's hand. I know that she prayed so hard for Ashlyn when she was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and when she had her surgery. She even made sure that Ashlyn was on the Prayers of the Faithful at her church.

The funeral service was hard on me....not only was I emotional about the loss of my husband's grandmother, but I was reminded of my grandmothers who have both passed away. It makes me teary eyed to think that Meme Martin and Meme Herendeen never got to meet their great grandchildren. I know how much they would have loved Braeden and Ashlyn....I hope they are looking down from heaven watching over them. I know how proud they would be to see how I have grown up and started a family of my own.....

It is hard to believe that my babies' only living great grandmother is now gone. The events of the last month or so are surreal and really makes me stop and think how fragile life is. Luckily, with a little faith, we can make sense of this death and see the bigger picture. While, great grandmother is no longer with us physically, she lives on in our memories of her and in the legacy she left behind through her 4 sons, 11 grandchildren, and 8 (I think?) great grandchildren....not to mention all the other lives she was touched.