Nine months later...

This.

This is a memory.

It is one of many.

This is my sweet and ornery Granny.

It's been nine months since she went to Heaven.

She was my Saturday morning phone call visit.

She was my recipe go-to.

We shared recipes and secrets during those phone calls.

She taught me to make homemade wine.

She taught me to make pie.

She taught me to try again when I messed up recipes.

She spoiled me silly.

She made French Silk Pie because it was my favorite.

She made Coconut Cream Pie with Mile High Meringue because it, too, was my favorite.

She always asked what I wanted her to make when we got together.

She was a very strong woman.

Who puts EIGHTY candles on a cake!?!?!?

(In his defense, he also brought a fire extinguisher.)

She worked hard her whole life.

In the years before her passing, she had a broken back from a dog jumping on her.

She had colon cancer, a stroke, and a broken hip.

She had breast caner.

The same night as the mastectomy she had a massive heart attack.

Just a few weeks later, she was diagnosed with colon cancer again.

One week after her surgery to remove the cancer, she passed.

The day of her surgery she just thanked me over and over for coming to be with her.

She told me repeatedly that she loved me.

Each day after the surgery when I called to check in, she continued to declare her love.

She continued to say thank you.

Easter Sunday was the last time I talked to her on  the phone.

She kept the visit short, but she made sure that I knew that she loved me.

She thanked me for the Saturday morning visits.

She knew.

She knew she wouldn't be going home to her little house.

She passed away within the next 2 days.

My Mama called me to tell me that she was getting worse.

If I wanted to see her I needed to hurry.

I packed a bag while my family gassed the car.

I drove my fastest and prayed that I wouldn't be too late.

When I finally arrived, I got to sit by her and hold her hand.

I got to tell her over and over how much I loved her.

I had 20 minutes.

Twenty minutes that seemed like an eternity yet not enough time.

She passed peacefully surrounded by her family.

What a blessing.

I don't remember much about the drive home.

Actually I don't remember much about the next few days.

I DO know that my Saturday mornings were tough for a long time.

I didn't know what to do with myself.

I wanted to pick up a phone and call her.

I wanted to tell her about new recipes.

I wanted to tell her about her grandchildren and their activities.

She was incredible.

She was a fighter.

She was stronger and braver than I could imagine such a tiny woman to be.

She loved us big.

Heaven gets sweeter every year.

More and more of my precious people have gone to be with Jesus.

Every day is a gift.

One never knows when life will change.

Some of the changes change everything.

Life is full of moments.

I write this today to remind myself to be present each day.

The moments are delicious.

Enjoy the little things, because in the end, they truly are the big things.

Life.  Is.  Delicious.

Here's to you, Granny.

I love you!

XOXOXO