It is with an equally sad and happy heart that I have lost my my grandma - but only here in this physical earthly realm. She was such an amazing and strong woman, and she was my inspiration to learn how to be a seamstress, how to bake delicious cathead biscuits and cake, and how to have a forgiving heart.
She was 90 years old and although she was the sweetest lady you’d ever meet, she also was a firecracker, and would tell off a darn telemarketer in a heartbeat. I have the fondest memories of us walking to church as I was a little girl, and also of us laying in bed side by side listening to her prayers for me and all our loved ones.
She had a wonderful sense of humor and sometimes would laugh so hard all that you could hear were just the sweetest (and funniest) laugh-wheeze whispers.
Her health had started to decline in the last few years, and in the last few months that decline sped up a bit. I am told that the nurses said they’d never seen such a peaceful looking departure - that she looked like a little sleeping baby as she passed - so relaxed and at peace. She was with loved ones in hospital hospice when she died.
She loved all her children and grandchildren and hosted me and my cousins all at the same time when we wanted to have slumber parties. We were never ‘too much’ for her. We’d play games like ‘I spy’ and ‘huckle buckle beanstalk’, and her porch swing was an exciting ‘roller coaster ride’ with the simple addition of a broomstick across the lap.
When I was 13, me and my mom and brother all lived with her for a little bit while mom and dad were going through a divorce. She loved having any of us there any time and always made sure we always ‘had enough to eat’. Her home was always open to anyone who needed a place. Every morning was like a B & B, and we’d wake up to the most delicious biscuits, red eye gravy, and country ham.
There was never a shortage of fun at Grandmas West’s house. I never wanted nor had any great-grandchildren for her, but my cousins did and she loved them all with the same energy that she gave us (the grand-children). She also always asked about my animals and even came out on occasion to visit with them. Most recently she got a big kick out of watching me run around the yard letting Quack Nicholson (one of my disabled ducks) ‘fly’. She asked to see the video often and would have me show it to whoever was present at the time..
In the last year she loved having Poptart visit her. So we’d make time at least once a month to go up and sit, and she loved giving Poptart snacks and Poptart loved visiting with her. It was a truly sweet thing to witness. To be honest, I never recall seeing my grandma with a dog before, she always had the occasional former stray kitty that she’d fed and eventually tamed enough to come inside. She LOVED her Poptart visits.
When she was admitted into the hospital just a few days ago, I was unable to visit due to my work schedule, and her being so far away, but I put Poptart’s Christmas dress on her and made sure we FaceTimed her in a moment where she was alert.
I’m certain she was so torn between leaving all of us here and joining all her loved ones in Heaven. She was grounded in her faith and knew when time came for her, it would be glorious. Her peaceful departure is proof of that.
Please keep my mama and our family in your prayers and thoughts. It’s been a rough year of loss for our family - my stepdad, favorite cousin Betty, a few uncles, and now my grandma - and the holidays just magnify that empty space at the table that was once occupied.
Enjoy these memories…. Rest In Paradise… <3
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