Today was the funeral and burial services for Grandma. I was trying so hard not to break down and cry, but my emotions got the best of me. It was such a lovely sermon about Grandma. He talked about how she had three homes. Her home by the pond (which she has lived in for 70 years!), her home with the church and finally her heavenly home. Grandma is now with peace in her heavenly home....
God looked around his garden
And He found an empty place.
And then He looked down upon the earth,
And saw your tired face.
He put His arms around you,
And lifted you to rest.
God's garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering,
He knew you were in pain,
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough,
And the hills were hard to climb,
So He closed your weary eyelids,
And whispered "Peace be thine."
It broke our hearts to lose you.
But you didn't go alone,
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home
When I got home today, I had a few hours of hard times. I miss her so dearly already. She had such a gently loving touch. I am sad because I can't just drive and see her. She would also just hold my hand and all my worries would just go away.
Grandmother lived for 92 years. This is an e-mail Dad sent me a few days ago regarding Grandmother:
She lived a really tragic life in many ways that is difficult for those in my generation and yours to conceptualize.
Her oldest brother died a horrible death at age 6 from lock-jaw caused by a blood infection from a small burn on his hand from a cap gun. Her mother died a horrible death from infection following child birth when Grandmother was just 17 years old and the oldest of 6 children including an infant. There were no antibiotics before the 1930s.
At some point in her childhood, their home in Kinston burned and people didn’t have insurance in those days. Her family lost their farm in the depression. Then there was a stepmother that no one liked to tend to those children and her father was an alcoholic.
Then her brothers went off to war for several years. Gordon was captured by the Germans who put out radio broadcasts picked up all over the U.S. and Canada gloating about having the brother and mentioning her by name and address. She received letters from every where.
Bill, who was too young to go to war, was shell shocked, became an alcoholic and was in and out of the Veterans hospital until he finally killed himself. They often had to go get him and arrange for him to get back into the hospital. A 3rd brother, Russell, came back from years of was as an alcoholic. Then Shelton, the youngest brother, was killed in accident caused by his son.
She wasn’t equipped to face the world when Daddy died and then lived 35 years going blind and then the stroke.
Her highest priority goal in life was to see that her children got a college education and that we all should have a better future than she had.
Here is one of my favorite poems that is helping me find comfort...
Do not stand by my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints upon the snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain and
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am that swift uplifting rush,
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand by my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.
No comments:
Post a Comment