Loss of a different kind

My husband and I are both lucky enough that as we grew up, we had all of our grandparents around. Our grandparents played a big role in our lives, whether they lived far away or helped raise us. Some of the grandparents had more of an impact on us than others, and we’ve decided we want to honor those people with our childrens names some day.

Today we are saddened. My husband lost one of his two remaining grandparents, the grandmother who stepped in to help raise him and his siblings when his parents divorced and his mom was working full time. This woman touched our lives so much.

When I was around the house as a teen(before I met my husband), Grandma was the force that ruled. She dictated when we all had to leave, who got to know where B was, etc. Grandma could make it easy for you, or hard for you. When we got engaged, her blessing mattered to us more than anyone else, because we respected her so much. It was such an honor for me to have her congratulate us and be blessed with some very special gifts at our wedding, which she only gives to those she approves of.

Grandma was a military wife, back in the day before there was an Air Force, when it was the Army Air Corps. She raised a large family, throughout all the struggles, and helped them find lives of their own. Once all the children were grown, she and Grandpa served a mission for the church in Africa for a few years.

Once the children were grown, Grandma finally had the time to devote to all the skills she had wanted to learn for years. Grandma had always been accomplished at the needle arts, sewing, embroidery, cross stitch, and crocheting. She began to make dolls, then moved on to porcelain dolls, and eventually even learned the art of painting ceramics. She became president of her crafting societies, and lived an amazingly full life in her later years.

Grandma traveled the world, first with Grandpa, and then to visit her children, her grandchildren, her many great-grandchildren, and even a few great-great-grandchildren. In the 5 years since our marriage alone, she’s been all over the US, to London, Portugal, the Azores, Italy, and more. She never stopped traveling, even as she slowed down.

Last winter, Grandma celebrated her 90th birthday. To honor her, the entire extended family put together a gigantic scrapbook, celebrating her life and including all of the generations brought forth from her. To see her legacy come to life on the pages of that book was amazing.

Grandma has had some issues over the last few months, and we’ve all known the end was near, even though we were hoping for a miracle. Today, Grandma passed away peacefully, and is now reunited with her beloved husband. We will sorely miss her presence here in this family, and will never forget her.

She touched our lives profoundly. Today, the only loss I mourn is hers. I miss her deeply and consider having a relationship with her for the past 11 years to be an amazing blessing. Whenever we have a daughter, she will be named in honor of this wonderful woman who has touched all our lives so thoroughly.

Rest in Peace, Grandma. We miss you, we love you, and we know you are free of pain and sorrow now. Take care of our angels, and watch over us. We need you always.