WELCOME MARCH! (Or, thank goodness February is over!)

"What if your blessings come through rain drops?

What if your blessings come through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it

takes to feel you near?"

-Laura Story, 'Blessings'

Wow, what a week. 

My grandma, Mayme Peek.

It has been a week of tears and stress and more. 

There have been so many times I wanted to sit and write, but there was no time. So my mind is still running rampant with the multiple posts I wanted to make — bear with me as I weave them together.

On Sunday, surrounded by her children, their spouses, and some of my wonderful cousins, my grandmother passed away. She was 91. (Here's her obituary.)

Prior to her death, I had taken some photos, to start copying them. My cousin had made a disc for us when my grandpa passed in 2007 and I wanted to expand that idea. Not because we knew when she would pass — there were speculations, but we didn't know, really. I wanted to do that just because I had wanted to do so for a while.

Isn't she beautiful?

Looking through the photos, especially that night and throughout the week, I realized just how much I didn't know about my grandma.

She was beautiful — no doubt. She had a large family and I think, like so many in her time, that was important to her. My grandmother had four children of her own, two sons and two daughters, and they each had two children — first a son and then a daughter. She had the joy of eight great-grandchildren.

I think she had a funny sense of humor, too. :) Just guessing from some of the photos.

I love my family. So many of us are spread near and far — we never see each other. It's been nice to reconnect this week online. Due to distance and timing, we delayed the funeral to Saturday. Yesterday.

Now to the other side.

On Monday, Jim started therapy. At about 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, he called me. I was asleep on the couch in the living room and didn't hear him upstairs — I'm a heavy sleeper. His leg had begun swelling, turning blue and more. He had managed to remove the brace himself.

I should have brought him to the hospital then, but he sincerely thought (hoped?) it was a muscle issue. It continued to cause problems, but he thought it was the muscle reacting to being used. 

Fast forward to Friday. We were to be heading to my parents that night. As I'm upstairs packing, he calls to me from downstairs. His leg was much much worse and off we went to the hospital. That was about 2:30 p.m. At 9 p.m., he was given a room number.

Even in the hospital, he's goofy.
During a round of "Man Eats Dog."

During the tests, a blood clot was found in my sweetie's leg. Apparently, it's a doozy and was blocking a lot of the flow in his leg. They also thought they saw a spot in the lung. They couldn't confirm it was a clot, but couldn't disprove it either. They've since said it probably wasn't. But, they haven't released him. The numbers aren't quite where they want them and we want to know the clot is being taken care of before we go home.

Anyway, back to Friday.

I love this man. Despite being in pain, despite being a bit scared — but not admitting it —, despite the uncertainty, he's worried about me. He's worried because I'm not getting to the visitation and because he can tell I'm concerned. He's worried about me missing the cafeteria closing. We had visitors, Rebecca from church, Chuck, Jim's "brother," and my folks with dinner.

Grandma and Grandpa with dad.
He's a cutie :)

On Saturday, his folks drove down from Cincy to visit, while I went to the funeral. His concerns that day? For me to drive safely, of course. And he felt bad that he couldn't go with me, be there for me and the family.

He needn't fear. As soon as I walked in, my family surrounded me. That's the thing about my family — we may be spread as far as the sands, but when we need each other, we pull in ranks quickly. It was tough, but I held okay, until I saw my daddy.

A girl and her dad. I may have another man in my life — two if you count my Bucket — but I'll always need my daddy. That's something he will never have to doubt. :)

Anyway, my family, all of us, we joined together. We came together. That's what family is for.

Grandma and Grandpa
with Uncle David

On the way back, I was reflecting on that. On how wonderful my family was to join around each other. And how much they were concerned about me and Jim — that's all I felt. There was no criticism or anything, simply concern.

It was nice to be together. We were still missing a few, but it can't be helped and we held close.

And heading back, I knew his parents were here. They came at the drop of it because of concern for him.

I've never felt anything but love from them as well.

Aren't they adorable?

That's family. Loving each other no matter where we come from, what we look like, what we believe. At the core of it, we are family and we share that bond that can never be erased.
While this week was tough, as I said, I learned some things about my grandma. And I realized things, things I had known but I never processed.

My grandma grew up in a different time. She was a teenager when the Great Depression struck the nation. She was a young adult when WWII hit. She saw men she knew, family members — my grandfather — go off to war. She saw many not return.

She raised beautiful children. She loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I never remember my grandmother raising her voice or her hands. She was loving, hard-working, diligent. She was a devout christian.
She was the epitome of the Proverbs 31 woman.

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil...her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her."

-Proverbs 31: 10-28 

That was part of the eulogy given. And it was so true. I had been trying to think of ways to describe the kind of woman my grandmother was and the lightbulb came in that time. She was the Proverbs 31 woman.

She cared more deeply for her family than herself. She put everyone above her. She helped in the fields, she cared for the children, she never ceased in serving.

She cut up my hot dogs when I spent the night, no matter how old I was. (Hot dogs were one of my favorite things.)

She loved us. And she loved God.

And, as my cousin put it, she's there now, dancing with grandpa. I imagine she's basking in the glow of God, sitting at his feet, grandpa at her side and just being happy. They are happy and healthy and pain-free, both of them.

It's a good thought to hold onto.