Promotion to Glory

One year ago today,

my Grandma received her promotion to Glory.

After a 2 1/2 month bout with pancreatic cancer,

and suddenly she was gone.

I remember that I went to church that morning

with my Uncle Curt and Aunt Tammy--

we weren't sure if we should leave that morning or not.

We had been up through the night (and on preceding nights)

wondering if she was soon to leave this earth.

We debated that morning...

then decided to go and come right back.

I remember obsessively checking my cell phone while in church,

but it didn't ring.

We went right back,

she was still hanging on.

And then it was happening.

All of a sudden...and we rushed to be around her bed.

Not everyone wanted to be right there...

and that's ok.

Everyone handles death differently.

I did want to be right there

and I held her right hand as she died.

My cousin Janet held her other hand.

All of her children were gathered around her bed.

It wasn't nearly as lovely as I had hoped it would be.

It wasn't awful, but it wasn't exactly peaceful.

But our family was peaceful.

We all stood around her bed...tears streaming down our faces...

knowing we were watching her last moments on earth.

We were peaceful because we knew where she was going.

We knew (and know!) that she was a born-again Christian,

a woman who had made her personal decision to receive Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord.

She lived for Him and served Him to the end.

I will never forget that day.

I have so many precious, precious memories from that time in my life.

I learned a lot about family,

about what it means to rally around and care for one another.

I did things to and for my grandma that I didn't know I could do.

I certainly never planned on them.

I'm so glad I was able to,

I'm glad I lived close to her

and could be a part of her life.

I'm missing her today.

This past weekend our family had a wedding,

and she wasn't there, of course.

It was strange---she was a tiny lady,

but there was a BIG empty spot where she and Grandpa should have been!

We were all thinking of what we were doing a year ago

and how much has transpired in that time.

I