grief and memories

Over the past 25, almost 26, years, I have been blessed with the chance to know an incredible woman. I am overwhelmed with sadness, and I know things will never be the same. I know she is much better off in Heaven, but I know that our life here on Earth is forever changed. Grief hits me in waves. I am happy one minute, and then the next, I am crying over the silliest thing. I worry about how my family is going to handle the loss over the upcoming months. I worry about sweet Gdad and how he will cope with the loss of his wife of 56 years. I worry about my mom, Aunt and Uncle, because I have no idea how I would function if I lost one of my parents. Mimom was sick for the last 10-12 years of her life, yet it never changed her sweet personality. Even on the day she passed away, she was still sweet spirited and happy when I walked in the room. I will never forget the last words she said to me. I walked in her room, gave her a kiss, and said, "Hi Mimo, its Katie." She opened her eyes, lifted her skinny arm in a cheerleader rah kind of movement, and said, "yea Katie!" It was the best thing she could have said to me. She was not afraid to die, because she knew where she was going.

I love thinking about all of the precious times we had together. We spent summers playing in the mountains in Estes Park, Colorado and at the Lake House on Lake Austin. Mimom would gather the girl cousins and show us how to make mud pies. We would spend hours in the driveway making delicious mud pies. We would take hikes around Bear Lake in Colorado. She would let us stop and climb on every rock along the way. We would spend summer weeks staying at Mimo and Gdad's Woodmont house. They had a huge backyard with a swing, a creek and a bridge. The grandkids would play fun games together...tag, basketball or random silly games that Bill would make up. Mimo and Gdad would either be playing with us or watching us from the huge window inside. I distinctly remember judging the Miss USA pageant. Mimo would get notebooks and pens for each of us. We would sit in front of the TV, write down all the contestant names and states, and then judge each contestant. I remember Mimo always picking the classiest girls and they always seemed to win!

I have always loved introducing my friends to my family. Mimo and Gdad would love on my friends like they were apart of the family. When Mimo moved to the Summit, I tried to visit her as often as I could. I would go sit on her bed and we would just gossip. Nurses were always coming in to say hi to her and see how she was doing. She had a way of attracting people. She would share with me stories about the nurses who took care of her, random family stories and more. She asked me to show her pictures of my friends, and she wanted to know everything about my life. I loved telling her about my work, friends...basically anything I had going on. She would always comment on the cute friends and clothes in the pictures.

Mimo had a strong and lasting faith. She taught me many life lessons, but one will always stick out to me. I couldn't have been more than nine or ten. Gdad was sitting in his chair watching football, Allison and Rebecca were outside on the swing, and Mimo and I were talking in the kitchen. I don't remember what started the conversation, but I will always remember what she said to me. "Katie, when you start dating boys, you have to remember 1 thing. Always date someone who has the same Christian faith as you. If they aren't a Christian, don't date them." I didn't realize at the time how valuable of a lesson it was.

She was always looking out for her family, always wishing the best for them. She put her faith first, and she glowed with Christ's love. Calling her an amazing woman is an understatement. Even though she is with Jesus and starting her new life in Heaven, her sweet and kind spirit will continue to impact us here on Earth.