Thursday, July 31, 2008

Grandma Daisy update

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14 (NIV) The Lord has been so merciful and gracious to my family and me over the past couple of days. My grandma is still holding on at this point, however her body is shutting down. She is running an extremely high fever and is losing her color. She continues to breath but the breaths are getting more shallow and her blood pressure is erratic. In my opinion, she is probably already spending time with the Lord and is just sticking around until everything is completed. I am not sure what she has in mind but the family is mostly here, friends have been notified and laughter continues to fill the room. I must say that it has been a nice time and not many tears have been shed. I am sure that will come when she is really no longer with us in body. Grandma was never one to follow the conventional way of doing things especially as she got older. So, only she and the good Lord know when she will be going home. Several weeks ago she said she wanted to stick around for her next birthday. That is coming up on the 10th of August. So, we will see if she calls the shots to the very end. She commanded respect but she did so in a gentle spirit. She introduced herself to every and anyone she met as "call me Grandma." She has such a sweet spirit and loved unconditionally. Many of us have made mistakes but the first person I typically called to "confess" was her. She would hear me out, ask questions and make sure I knew that she loved me no matter what and then she would "let me have it"!! Only Grandma could do that and leave me feeling whole and not broken by my unwise choices. As I look at her lying in her hospital bed, I recall all the times we spent together and in every one of those instances, she embodied the qualities of Jesus. I am so thankful that as I have gotten older and developed my own relationship with the Lord, that I now see that He was with me all the time and He used my sweet grandma to counsel me. I love Him and I love her! I know the tears will flow once she is gone. But right now, I am being selfish and grateful that I can still hold her warm soft hands, kiss her plump cheeks, lay my head upon her chest and tell her that I love her. I made sure in this life that I always told her how much she meant to me. I know that as she passes, she goes knowing that not only did she love unconditionally but she was loved in the same manner. I hope that I can carry half the legacy that Grandma endowed to me and be at least a fraction of the woman that she was. I want to have her integrity, spirit, humor, compassion and love of the Lord. It was her prayer that she would see all her grandchildren come to the Lord. She may just have to wait until she gets to Heaven for that to happen. Who knows -- maybe her homecoming will be just the bit of water to cause those seeds to finally produce some fruit. I plan to speak at her service and I pray that I make her proud one more time, but more importantly that those that knew her honor her wish and commit their lives to the one and only living God. I am paraphrasing one of my favorite scriptures to fit this situation..."And who knows but that Grandma went to Heaven for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14b (words in italics mine) Blessings to you all and thank you for praying! Paula PS - I posted the pictures from Grandma Daisy's birthday last year on the left.

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