Tribute to my Grandmother

Last Monday morning I received news my maternal grandmother passed away.  Anne LaVerne Crain was 90 years of age.  Over the course of the week I've been able to process the news in a healthy manner.  In recent years she was a mere shell of the strong person I remember.  She was plagued by a form of dementia and a frail body due to age.  These aren't the things I dwell on, but rather the memory of the good times of when she was the matriarch of the family.  My father's family passed away while I was at a young age, so my maternal grandparents, especially my grandmother, is all the familial experience I have.  She was such a peacemaker in the family, my staunch ally imparting much needed wisdom whether or not I asked for it, but always providing it at just the right time.  At the time of her passing, the first thought was of her standing before a Holy God, a very loving Heavenly Father.  She is now unbounded by her physical body, clothed with a new spiritual body, praising and worshiping God for all eternity.  I can only envy her, envisioning how she is now able to perform anything and everything even better than anyone can in this temporal realm.  Her husband preceded her in death in January of 2010.  They were married for 69 years.  Wow!  I know she is now reunited with the love of her life in the fellowship of God forever.  Thankfully I was able to visit with her for one last time this past August.  She had been living in a memory-care facility in Kerrville, Texas.  At the time of our visit she must have been having a good day with a time of clarity as she was able to recognize me.  We visited, unbeknownst to me, for the last time.  Every week, usually on Friday or Saturday, I would faithfully write (type) and mail a letter to her.  I hope and pray this developed a bond of love between the two of us which will transition in to the next world.  Unfortunately the last letter never made it to her before her passing.  This Friday (tomorrow), I will write one last letter to her celebrating the life and memory of my dear grandmother.  Grandma, I love you!  I wish I could have expressed it in a more real way, but you were very much a part of my life.  You invested so much in to who I am.  It is because of this I am the person I am today.  Your memory lives on through me.


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