Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Slipping Away

This past month has been an emotionally intense time for my extended family as my grandma has battled with kidney failure among other conditions. She was hospitalized for over a month and decided on Friday she would just like to go home. Thankfully that was arranged quite quickly and she arrived back home on Saturday afternoon. Late Saturday I got a call from my mom that if we wanted to come, now would be the time as the hospice nurse mentioned she may have slipped into a coma by midweek. We arrived Sunday afternoon and my husband and I were able to visit with her. She was alert and conversant and relatively comfortable. Sunday night was a rough night for her and by Monday she was markedly worse. I visited again on Monday afternoon and a couple hours after our visit ended she was called Home. She was ready and so much at peace to meet the Lord. Her last words to me were, "I'll see you in Heaven." This will be a precious memory to me for a long time. Letting go was somewhat easier because we knew she was ready for Heaven, ready to leave the pain of this world and the pain she felt within her body and at such peace in her last couple days on this earth. I'm thankful for the Lord's mercy in ending her suffering so quickly, but still in shock of just how fast that happened.

Seeing her in such a frail state reminded me that we are but dust, that life is fragile and that each of our days is numbered by the One who created us.

We are home now, but will travel again to be with my family at her memorial service on Friday. I was richly blessed by her influence in my life and continue to be blessed by the legacy and family she leaves behind.

3 comments:

Megan said...

Rachel, I'm sorry for your loss. Sweet of God to give you that precious time there, but still sorry for your great loss.

Joanne : The Simple Wife said...

Oh Rachel, so sorry for the grief your family is experiencing. But I am so blessed by her words--"See you in heaven."

Jenny's Vegcafe said...

I'm so sorry. I know how hard it is to lose a Grandma.