My Gram was a loving, feisty, wonderful woman...she had children, grandchildren and great grands that loved her so much! At Thanksgiving, after having received a clean bill of health at a check up the week before she developed what they thought was pneumonia. An x-ray later revealed a mass in her chest cavity that was pressing on her lungs, causing her symptoms. At that time, her doctor declared that there was nothing he could do, surgery on a 94 year old (even if she would agree to it, which I doubt she would have) would surely do more harm than good and her children took over making sure she was well cared for and loved for what time she had left. The doctor had supposed that, due to the sheer size of the mass, she probably had 2 weeks to 2 months left. So began 6 months of love lessons for us grands and our children. Watching my mother and her siblings love on Gram despite being exhausted mentally, emotionally and physically was such a lesson on selflessness and family...our family will never forget. I can remember all the many times we would pray for Gram. Tanner would ask God to not let Gram "get dead" and Landon would ask Him to help Gram feel better. I just prayed that God would be kind and not allow her to be in pain, to protect her from fear and anxiety and to give her peace...however that came.
On Monday, April 30, my mother called to tell me that they were having a hard time staying ahead of Gram's pain due to the fact that she was having trouble swallowing the pain pills and they had made the hard decision to move her to Beacon Place, a beautiful hospice facility surrounded by lush gardens. There she could be given IV meds to control her pain. The transport came at 10am on Tuesday and she was taken without incident to BP. My mother doesn't think she was even aware of being moved...for which I am thankful! My aunt Lynne and cousin Gaye spent the first night with her while my mom and her older sister went back to Grams to get a good sleep so that they could take their turn the next day. I talked with Mom around 8:30am as she was on her way to BP and she said that Lynne and Gaye shared that she had had a peaceful night but had some difficulty breathing. When my mom arrived, she and Jane said good morning to Gram and then were visiting with one another...a few minutes later they realized that Gram was gone. My mother is certain that she was breathing when they came in and that it happened some time after she and Jane arrived...almost as if she was waiting for them to get there. It is so hard to lose someone that was such an integral part of our family, I mean, she started this whole thing, right!? :) As sad as we are and as much as we will miss her...we are thrilled to know that she is in Heaven with her Lord...and, as my cousin said, able to have a date with her husband who has been gone for 48 years.
So, I am thankful for having a Gram as wonderful as she was...thankful that my boys were able to know her and love her and be loved by her...thankful that she got to meet little Keaton, her 24th great-grandchild...but most of all...I am thankful she finally got to meet Jesus...she had been waiting to meet Him her whole life! God is good...even when life, and the end of life, is hard.
