My Grandma Lou passed away in her sleep yesterday morning.
She was 96 years old.
She was an amazing woman,
a mom, a grandma, a great grandma and a great-great grandma.
We all called her Grandma Happy.
She was a hard life working farm wife.
She was the best cook, specializing in comfort food.
She encouraged all of us in whatever direction we happened to be headed at the time.
She had an infectious laugh.
Her eyes sparkled every single day.
Grandma Happy asked Jesus into her heart one morning while watching Rex Humbard on television,
and she "gave God the glory" every chance she had,
not in a phoney way,
but in the way older people talk about their friends.
She would say things like ...
"Pa shoveled the sidewalk and almost fell, but he didn't. Isn't God good?"
"I have been on my diet now for 6 months and I have lost 20 pounds. Isn't God good to help me so?"
"I was trying to figure out what to do and it came to me. Isn't God good? He showed me exactly the right thing to do."
"You know, one day, I will be going home, and Oh! That will be glory! There He'll be to greet me ..."
It's her description of that day that made me smile several times today.
I believe that Grandma Happy is having one big party in heaven.
I can almost hear her laughter.
She will be so excited.
She'll want to see everything and everyone at once.
She's leaping from cloud to cloud, hugging everyone she sees ...
Someone said the most peaceful thing today ...
He said that passing away quietly in her sleep
was "dying a good death".
That will come as no surprise to anyone who knew her.
She lived a good life.
HAPPY ENDINGS
by kktaylorcc
I have not mastered endings ...
I don't know that I shall ever get it right.
My heart breaks at the loss of each and every loved one ...
I do not know how to say good-bye
to even one of these ...
I remind myself of
the JOY there must be in heaven
at the collection of so many precious saints!
I can close my eyes and imagine them ...
the cheers and the hugs
I can see them shining from the inside out.
I can feel them saying ...
"Don't miss me too much.
I really like it here!
We'll see each other soon enough.
You'll really like the view!
You haven't really lost us.
We're right there inside of you ...
as close as our memory,
Our words can replay at will.
You'll hear our love played back to you
Because we love you still."
Whether death takes a loved one
to that other place,
Or life moves a loved one
to fill another space ...
The end result is the same
to those of us who are left behind ...
We close our eyes and think of them,
accepting that they are gone, but
They're right here inside of us ...
as close as our memory,
Our words can replay at will.
We'll hear their love played back to us
Because we love them still.
Maybe, we don't have to master endings
when nothing really ends ...
Once someone touches our life
and we share each other's hearts,
Love creates a ripple
that grows into a wave ...
that carries us all through our life
and way beyond the grave.
Thank you for remembering my family in your thoughts and prayers
over the next few days.
Special thanks to the two who called
and shared some of their JOY & PEACE
when I was running a little short of both.
Hugggggggggggz, Taylor
