For Our Grandmas

Dan and I have both lost our maternal grandmothers in the last few months.

My grandma passed away in February.  She was 92.  She was a firecracker, a strong and loyal woman with a sense of humor.  When I think of her I'm amazed at the changes in the world she witnessed in her lifetime.  She was a true product of her generation.  While she is missed, I know she lived a long and full life and was ready for rest.  I am grateful we were able to have a nice visit with her this past Christmas and I felt like I was able to say goodbye.  My last memory of her is of my mom feeding her homemade lasagna.  She was fully with us, enjoying homemade food, she was sweet and funny - even joking.  It's a good memory, simple and maybe trivial I'm grateful for it.

Dan's grandma passed away yesterday after a truly courageous fight.  While I only knew her for a little over two years, I loved her.  She was so sweet and kind, a gentle soul, compassionate, and delightful.  The quintessential grandma.  She was a lovely woman and will be deeply missed by many, including us.  I see so much of her character in her children - Dan's mom, aunts and uncle, and I see her in Dan as well.  A good person through and through.  She radiated love, even in the midst of pain.
  

We mourn over the void that's left in our lives when those we love leave this world.  But I am comforted knowing that it is only the living who anguish over loss.  For we believe that those who pass are in eternal peace. No more pain, no more suffering, no more sadness. They are in the world we long for - and as hard as it is for us to accept, how can we not be happy for them? The sadness is ours, not theirs. We miss their presence here on earth and struggle to find a new normal without them but they never truly leave us.  They live in our hearts, in our memories, and even with us in our future - sharing in our lives from a distance.

We were blessed to have both our grandmas at our wedding, to share in our union and know us as a couple. Their presence helping us to feel bonded, each with a new family.  That doesn't change in their absence. We know of their love and we keep it with us.

Please be praying for Dan's family and the recent loss of their beloved matriarch.