Today, my grandmother passed peacefully from this world into her eternal home.
Every tear I cried today brought with it a flood of sweet memories...
walking to and from her house because she just lived around the block
playing in her giant backyard (at lease it felt enormous to this little one at the time)
telling her I didn't love her anymore and didn't ever want to come to her house again because her candy bowl was empty
checking her candy bowl every visit after that and finding it was never empty again
having her as my 3rd grade Sunday School teacher and hearing her say you shouldn't smack your gum; it's not ladylike (and never chew gum in church)
picking crab apples from her tree
watching her peel sour green apples in one long peel and her telling me I would get a tummy ache if I ate too many of the peels
seeing her hands dig in the earth and hearing her say the name of every plant in her yard
sneaking into her top bathroom draw to use her gardenia perfume that Daddy Bill had given her (She knew where I'd been; it was obvious, but she never said anything!)
watching her care for her neighbors
pretending I was a queen and her very formal green living room chair was my throne
seeing her face peer around the corner with her hair teased up and cold cream on her face and no teeth in her mouth (I thought she was a witch!) and hearing her laugh because she thought it was so funny
hearing her testify in church of her love for her Savior and His faithfulness to her
eating her coconut fruit cake (the best!) and her homemade apple jelly
watching her eyes light up every single time a child came close and seeing her scoop them into her lap
hearing we're going to Mama Lois's for dinner because I knew it was probably going to be steak
watching her fill my Daddy Bill's cup over and over with sweet tea at every meal
sneaking into her top dresser drawer, admiring the crisp white hankies and putting her first wedding band on my finger (the one my Daddy's daddy gave her)
being very young and asking her if she still loved my grandfather and hearing her say, "I will pray for that man every day of my life"
watching her lean over the hospital bed to care for Mother Greer (Daddy Bill's mom) with such gentleness
never having a conversation with her that didn't include her lifting her finger toward heaven to give God the credit for something
watching the tears fall everytime she remembered my sweet Daddy Bill
The memories came like a flood today,
like a cleansing flood.
I will miss the way she would always put her hands on my face and say, "I wish you could stay longer."
I will never forget the person she was and taught me to be.
Tonight, she's having a sweet reunion in heaven with the love of her life and the lover of her soul.
Her struggle has ended.
Her tears are no more.
She has won her long, hard race.
She's finally home!
