Leaving of a legacy

When I first heard my 90 year old Grandma
had fallen ill and was terminal,
my first thought
(other than the gut wrenching sobbing and snot slinging)
was,

this...is the end..... of an era. 

 My mind said that she lived a wonderful and full 90 years,
but my heart was so very sad.

After travelling to NY to see her for the last time,
I no longer feel it is the end of an era.

 As God calls her home to be with my Grandpa
whom she loved dearly,
I now feel like it is the beginning of her legacy.



She is at home and most definitely
surrounded by love and family,

and it is how they are loving her that represents her legacy.

Loved ones praying for her,

gently holding her hand,

sleeping by her bedside or on the couch near her,

listening to the monitor in case she makes a sound,

giving medicine as needed,

calling from all over the world to let her know they love her

and hear her voice,

bringing flowers to her,

thanking her for everything she has done and 

all the prayers she has prayed,

 kissing her forehead,

and...

even arguing about what will make her most comfortable. 

 

Even in those moments of disagreement,

it is a example of how much she is loved.

 

 Not just one, but two priests came to pray with her at the house,

bring her communion and / or read her last rites.

If you include the priest from the hospital,

we think she had her last rites read three times, 

 she is in the Lord's hands.

 She is a witness for her love of the Lord

by the way she  clings to her rosaries saying prayers. 

 

 

 

This is all the mark of a woman who loved her children deeply,

all thirteen of them, 

and showed her family the power of love and prayer. 

 

A woman who taught those around her
to look at the world
 through rose colored glasses,

literally and figuratively.

 

She will be missed terribly,
as Grandpa is to this day,
however she will still live on in each person

that was lucky enough to know and love her.  

It is not just her legacy, but their legacy.

 And as she is being called home and takes this journey,

I pray for her to be at peace.

 

 

 

"Angels are everywhere,

one has only to be still to hear the rustle of a wing."

 

 

Sandy Hook ~ A month later

Every Christmas Eve, in Tarpon Springs, Florida on the Bayou,
they light thousands of white luminary bags with a candle for someone special.
It is a beautiful sight. 

 Normally, these bags have the names of those living and deceased..... 

but this year, they mostly were in memory of someone.   

There was a large section dedicated to the 

Sandy Hook Elementary School children. 

 My oldest was overwhelmed by all the children's names and began crying, saying, 

"I just feel like if I can remember one persons name and pray for them, 

I have helped in some way." 

I was moved.... proud.... and sad. 

I think it is safe to say, the holidays had a somber underlying tone for everyone. 

I had also read about a little girl in Griffin, GA who was found dead Dec. 22. 

She was only nine. 

Her neighbor was arrested almost immediately, maybe that is why it didn't make the national news.  

Her name is Skylar Dials. 

Thankfully, my children knew nothing of it. 

I couldn't stop thinking about her though... I figured that was the least I could do. 

Last night my youngest was up till 11:00 p.m., calling out every so often,
"Mom, dad, are you there?"
"Just making sure you are okay."

This isn't part of our "normal" bedtime routine. 

I think the sporadic new bedtime has something to do with the poem my oldest had just written, so here it is,

The Sandy Hook Massacre through a child's eyes. 

As everyday passes by,

I wonder why things happen the way they do.

And I try and try not to dwell on it. 

But I get to thinking…

They didn’t deserve to die,

Why was it so many lives?

Those innocent, 

Don’t deserve to die. 

At least they lived happy lives.

We’ll grieve and grieve,

But try to accept it.

‘Cause they didn’t deserve this.

What did they do to you.

Did they ever hurt him in any way?

Why, why did he take their lives and his own?

What a cowardly act,

doing that.

Every time I think about it I am chilled to the bone.

So why, why…

Did he kill them all?

They were so small. 

They didn’t have to die,

but they did.

And he did.

Once again, I am moved.... proud.... and sad.

 

Grief ~ It's Simple

1. 
   

   . 

   Yes, this is a wood block.
   We are off to a good start. 

   
   

   PHYSICS 101     Work = Force x Distance. 

   The unit of force being Newtons. 

   
   

   (don't go thinking I am all of a sudden a genius, 

   they teach this stuff in 4th grade)

   
   

   So the Newton is the measure of energy it takes  to move an object.  

   
   

   Say you push or pull the block on the left, you are going to use a certain amount of energy or force or newtons. 

   
   

   
   

   

   Say you add wheels to the object, making it a SIMPLE MACHINE. Why golly, it takes less work...newtons.... & force!
   What on earth do you ask, does have to do with Grief??? 

   Earlier this year I attended my Uncle's  funeral. He was in the Marine Corp. There must have been twenty marines in uniform that were standing guard at his funeral. You could see the sadness on their faces, as they mourned with our family.  I hope their presence helped my Aunt that day with her grieving...each marine being like a wheel on the block, making her load easier to carry. 

   
   

   

   I saw it again when my best friend's parents were tragically killed in a car accident this year. People helped her and her family as they grieved. Whether it was a hugs, cards, meals, babysitting, prayers, each person was like a wheel on the block helping make their load lighter... 
2. I saw this again when a friends mother passed away shortly after that. When I stopped over she mentioned how a stranger brought brownies and a neighbor mowed their lawn. Again, people were the wheels on the block to help pull them through.  

   
   

   

   Today, 9/11, eleven years after the tragedy

   it still sits heavy on every one's hearts today. 

   
   

   And it sits much heavier on the hearts of those who lost loves ones in those awful events or were helping with rescue efforts. 

   
   

   Hopefully those families feel a nation mourning with them 

   and it is helping pull them through today, like the wheels on the block. 

   
   

   Well, I am sure Grief is still sitting heavy on the hearts of my Aunt, my bestie and my friend and their families now and for sometime to come. Just as we haven't forgotten about 9/11, we mustn't forget about the other people so we can be the wheels to help pull them through.... it might be a little weird if you were to run over and mow their lawn at this point, but you can surely share a laugh or a smile.