Things I learned from my Grandma

Early this morning, my grandmother passed away. It’s been a long goodbye as her dementia progressed over the last several years, and I am thankful for my most recent visit with her. It had been years since she’d recognized me, and a long time since I’d heard her speak more than a few words, but on that day she looked at me with a sense of recognition and said, “hey sweetie.” She knew me, and I cried on the way home. I knew that would likely be my last visit with her, and although we’ve known that the end was near for a while now, it’s harder than I thought to say that final goodbye.

As I’ve thought about her today, the memories have come flooding back. She was such a special part of my life, and I want to share a few lessons I’ve learned from her:

1. Love people – if you’ve ever met my Grandma then you probably have a story to share about her. She never met a stranger, and loved my childhood friends like they were her own. In fact, she called them all her “adopted grandchildren.” She hosted spend-the-night parties for us at her house, picked us up from school, and attentively watched all the “shows” we put on for her. She took us on trips, and even hosted a luncheon for all of the cheerleaders my senior year. My childhood best friend still wears the pearl earrings she gave her for graduation. She was “Grandma” to everyone she met.

2. Don’t take life too seriously – after years of watching our plays, dances, and lip-syncing performances, one night she and Granddad decided to put on a show for us. They surprised us by walking into the room, boom box in hand, wearing trench coats, hats, and painted-on eyebrows. I have no idea what they sang (although I think it may have been “Achy Breaky Heart”? She loved Billy Ray Cyrus), but I remember laughing about it hysterically that night with my sister and our friends. It’s one of my favorite memories of her.

3. Love the beach– It was at her Panama City Beach house off Thomas Drive that I first fell in love with the beach. Some of my earliest memories are sitting on the sand with her letting the waves wash over our legs. Her beach house will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will forever try to re-create its smell – mostly Coppertone sunscreen and her after-sun lotion.

4. Vick’s Vapor Rub cures everything. She made me eat it once, and my sister and cousins have similar stories. I don’t know if this is a lesson I’ll adopt, but it’s one I’ll always remember her by.

5. Cherish your Friendships – my grandmother had a close group of friends that played bridge and traveled together. We knew her closest friends, too, and even went out of town to visit them with her. Recently, I learned that her best friend was still writing her letters regularly. Although Grandma couldn’t show any signs of recognition or remembering, her friend continued to write. What a loving, authentic friendship. I hope I have friends like hers one day.

6. Love your family – Grandma loved her family more than anything. It was a running joke to see how quickly we could make her cry with gifts. All it would take was one look at a photo of us all together and she’d look at my granddad and say “Oh Dewey,” and burst into tears. She cherished her grandchildren- never missing a dance recital or Friday night football game.

7. Love Jesus – Her car was filled with gospel tapes, and I have memories of her teaching me “Jesus loves the Little Children” and singing “Oh, how I love Jesus.” She also taught me the books of the Bible, and even let me come with her to the Bible Drill class she taught at her church. She would quiz me by calling out a verse and seeing how fast I could find it. At night, when we would spend the night at her house, she would scratch our backs softly with her long (always manicured) fingernails, and sing “God is so Good.” I sing the same song to my boys almost every night.

This morning when I told Easton that she’d passed away, I simply said that Grandma (you know, the one we visit with Nana and Pop in Atlanta?) went to Heaven last night. His reply, without any prompting, was, “well, when do we get to celebrate!?” What an appropriate response. I know she’s celebrating today as she is reunited with my granddad and has been welcomed into the arms of Jesus. Heaven has gained a lively, one-of-a kind personality this morning and I bet they are celebrating too.