As mentioned in a previous post, my grandma had been in hospice. She held on for thirty plus days and finally found her her peace this Sunday evening.
Toddler Bunky, partner, I are were able to say good bye on Friday and Saturday. No, it was not a pretty site, but it was much needed for her and I. My grandma is the only real grandma I have known. I was only the only grandchild to live in the same town. She would watch me when my parents went away on weekends. I would go to her house often just to visit. I took a trip with her and my grandfather when I was little to visit our relatives in Colorado. Grandma, though suborn and headstrong, was a very caring person and loved the people she did with much force. I am glad she has found her peace, though it is tough to say goodbye to such a big part of your life.
My grandma taught me many lessons in life. There is no doubt my stubbornness stems from her, but this is one of the things you had to love about her. She was not always your typical grandma… I didn’t learn to knit from her. But she did make the gravy during the holidays, she sent me cookies when I went to college, and she was always there no matter what I did. She taught me to be independent and to speak my mind. Though as we all are, she could be contradictory, she was a feminist role model in my life.
Toddler Bunky laid in the bed with grandma on Saturday morning and grandma smiled for the first time in days. I held her hand and stroked her hear and she did not want to let go of my hand. But I had to tell her, like her family and friends, heaven was calling her to be with her loved ones there. Maybe she held on to see us. And though she was not in good shape, I needed this closure also.
Though I knew she was going to die, I still cried when I got the call last night. I know she’s in a place of peace and rest and that her spirit will carry on. Grandma, I love you and your spirit will be with us.
We travel back to Iowa for the funeral on Friday and my cousins, step-cousins, and myself will be the pallbearers. A role I have never played and will do so in the greatest respect and love for my grandma.
As we get older and our lives busier and move farther away from family and friends, we often forget how precious life is and how soon death can come. Though many don’t read this blog, if you do, I urge you to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. They may be young, they may be old, but love and peace are essential to this world.
I love you grandma and will miss you. May you be in rest and peace in heaven.
