On Friday morning, March 9th, I received a phone call from my dad that I knew was coming. My wonderful grandmother and last grandparent had passed away. There was a flood of emotions. Sadness because I will miss her so terribly much. Relief because these last few weeks have been painful and the years have been long; she's been longing for Jesus to answer her prayer to bring her home. I'm thankful she is no longer in pain. There's also immense joy in knowing that she was now standing before her God in Heaven. At 96 years old, she had lived a long life, so it was time for her time on Earth to draw to an end and let her eternal time begin. On my way home that evening I heard the Mercy Me song "I Can Only Imagine." It's always been a favorite of mine as it talks about how we can only imagine what it will be like to enter Heaven and stand before Jesus for the very first time. I was overwhelmed thinking that Meme now knows exactly what you do at that time.
On Sunday afternoon and evening, we held her visitation at Carmichael Funeral Home. There were lots of beautiful flowers; she always loved a pretty flower. Any time you would show her one, she would say "that's the prettiest flower I've ever seen." And she seemed to mean it. She took such joy in seeing God's creation, and she was content to marvel at each beautiful piece. Really, everything you showed her was the prettiest she'd seen, whether it was a sunset, ocean view, flower or animal. There was also a video with 123 pictures that family had contributed. It was so great to watch this. The last few years, Meme has been living at Presbyterian Village nursing home, and she's been pretty much confined to a wheelchair. We all loved seeing these older pictures of her up and about with her husband who we called Pop, her three boys (my dad and his two brothers), all the grandkids and great-grandkids, and of course, her in the kitchen. That was her favorite place to be. She showed her love to people by cooking. Whether it was bringing ham biscuits to the hospital to celebrate a new baby, fried chicken and all sorts of delicious veggies for a family gathering, vegetable soup and cornbread to help someone who was sick or overwhelmed at work, or chicken salad for wedding and baby showers, she was always making something tasty. We reminisced about the Thursday evening dinners she and Pop hosted almost every week while we were growing up. We also had several photo albums out and one of her many Bibles. She was always studying the Bible and cross-referencing different versions and study guides. I remember at the house she and Pop lived in, her ottoman would always have no less than six different Bibles on it. The love of Christ simply overflowed from her. None of us could remember ever hearing an unkind word uttered from her. This was a wonderful time with family and friends. One friend commented that they've never seen so many smiling faces at a visitation before. How can you not smile when you know that Meme has received her eternal reward that she has waited for?
Her funeral was Monday afternoon, and it was beautiful. Jodi and Wayne spoke on behalf of her grandchildren. They both did an excellent job describing just how loved Meme was. Bob Shaw led everyone in singing "Because He Lives" which was quite appropriate. Before we sang though, he asked everyone who had been taught by Meme in the nearly 60 years she taught Sunday School at FBC Chattahoochee to stand up. I was proud to be one of the many who stood. McKayla and Madi sang two duets together on behalf of her great-grandchildren, and they did a beautiful job. Lee then delivered a wonderful eulogy for her. One of the comments he made was "Meme lived her whole life for Friday morning," and I thought that was the most perfect thing to say. He then pulled in Colossians 3:16a: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another all wisdom." This is a very fitting of Meme. Many people spoke of her commitment to and love for praying. You knew she would pray for you and often. She loved talking with God. Just a week or so before her passing, our family friend, Rick Huckeba, went to visit her. As he was getting ready to leave, he said "I'll pray for you Louise," and she responded "I'll pray for you too. Do you want to start or should I?" He let her begin. Even in her last moments, she was thinking of others and praying for them.
After the funeral, we stayed in the church for a bit to speak to a few more friends, and then the family drove to the cemetery. It was so incredibly cold and windy, so we had one prayer and just a few quick words here. From there we all headed over to Wayne's house where we spent a couple hours enjoying this family that Meme has been the head of for so long. Mom's church women's group had provided quite a feast for us which was appreciated.
There's no way I can fully describe how much Meme meant to me or relive all the amazing memories I have with her. She was an incredible grandmother. She game to as many ball games and events of ours as she could growing up and was always a source of support. She was the first to pray for any need you had. She would seek to find ways to serve others in unassuming and humble ways. She was kind, gentle, joyful, and beautiful - inside and out. Her life wasn't always easy with her father passing away at age 5 and growing up through the depression; she had breast cancer twice and survived a horrible car accident in the 1970's. She didn't let that steal her joy or gratitude though. I am so incredibly grateful that Lily and Mia will remember her. In the week since this has happened, I have caught myself thinking several time "I wish I was more like Meme" in some respect such as my levels of joy or contentment. It very quickly hits me though she wouldn't want that. No, she doesn't want me to imitate her; she wants me to imitate Christ. That's who she strove to be like and point others to. She knows there is nothing more important than the decision to follow Christ. She dedicated her life to serving Christ and His church. I believe she has now received the reward for this incredible trust and faith by hearing the words "Well done my good and faithful servant."
Here are a few of my very favorite pictures of Meme.
Cooking with her boys at New Smyrna in 2009.
At her 90th birthday celebration in 2011.
The first time Lily ever smiled was here, sitting in Meme's lap. It tickled Meme so much.
Sitting on the beach with Mia.
A more recent picture from September of last year. Meme's great-grandchildren brought her so much joy. She would light up when they came to visit, and she always enjoyed hearing what was going on in their lives. My girls will always know that Meme loved them greatly.
We love you Meme, and we'll miss you. Thank you for all you've taught us.
