One Special Lady

My grandmother was one special lady.


She grew up in the mountains of West Virginia with 6 siblings - poor as dirt. She used to tell me stories of how she would make her own high-heeled shoes by attaching empty spools of thread to the bottom of her shoes. I was completely fascinated with her. :)

Despite her poor upbringing, my grandmother was one classy lady. She never wore blue jeans or tennis shoes. In fact, I don't ever remember seeing her in anything but high-heels . . . and I had so much fun as a little girl trying on all of her fancy shoes.

My grandmother NEVER got old. I swear she never aged and was one "hip" Grandma. She took care of herself, exercised and in my eyes was always young. She lived life to the fullest, was not afraid to try new things and was by far the strongest person I had ever met. She was NOT your typical Grandma and I was always so proud of that fact.

My grandmother was the best cook - EVER! Never followed a recipe - just had natural talent to throw together the most delicious meals and desserts. I can't tell you how many times I've tried and FAILED to make her Chicken & Dumplings or 7-layer cookies. Sigh . . . I miss her cooking! Yes, my grandmother was one-of-a-kind. I honestly have never met another lady quite like her.

My grandmother was such a big part of our lives. She was there for every school function, every holiday and every party. She spoiled us rotten with extravagant gifts and unconditional love. Family was everything to her. I just loved being with her and have nothing but the fondest memories of our time together.

My grandmother holding me for the first time . . .

And holding Kyle for the first time!

My grandmother with my brother and I when we were teenagers.

My grandmother with Donnie & I shortly after we started dating. :)

But my grandmother did not live an easy life. She lost an 11-month old daughter many years ago to pneumonia. My grandmother often talked about losing her baby and I can remember her telling me that story like it was yesterday. Even after 50 years, I could still hear the pain in her voice and see the sadness in her eyes when she talked about the loss of her baby girl. I can remember hating that story because it made my grandmother so sad. I just couldn't imagine such heartbreak! Never in a million years did I think that I would one day share that pain so vividly with my grandmother.

My grandmother passed away very suddenly in January 2004 - exactly one month before Jacob was diagnosed with cancer. She had a heart attack and died in her sleep . . . and that was very hard on all of us. She was fine one day and gone the next. But looking back, I can see how that was all part of God's perfect plan. It would have been too hard on my grandmother to lose Jacob, too - especially after having lost her own daughter. She was spared the grief . . . and was there, in Heaven, to greet Jacob when he made the journey home.

One of my favorite pictures of my grandmother & Kyle - he had just turned a year old.

4 generations - right after the triplets were born.

Oh, how she LOVED these babies.
She was one proud Great-Grandma!

She was never too old to get down on the floor and play with the boys.

Nothing made her happier than to have all the kids in her lap!

As I was growing up, I can also remember my mom talking about the loss of her sister. My mom was 5 years old when her sister died - almost the same age as the boys were when Jacob passed. My mom has often told me that she felt like she lost her mom that day when her sister died. She has always said that her mom was never the same again . . . she lost that carefree JOY and always had a sadness about her after that.

Those words haunt me.

I don't want my boys to ever feel as if they lost "me" when Jacob died . . . yet it is hard to not let grief take over sometimes. It is a CHOICE every day to live this life with JOY . . . to show my boys that true joy only comes from God . . . his hope, his love, his presence.

Do I have moments of sadness? Absolutely! And I think it is good for the boys to understand that we do miss Jacob and are sad that he is gone. Unfortunately, sadness is a part of life this side of Heaven. However, we do not grieve without HOPE and I want my kids to know that they make me happy and that because of God's love - JOY will come in the morning.

I miss my grandmother & Jacob everyday. 2004 was definitely a hard year for us! But how thankful I am that they have each other in Heaven. And I give God all the glory for filling my heart with JOY.

This was about a month before she passed away.
We were at school for Kyle's Christmas kindergarten program.
I had no idea how much my life was going to change in the next 2 months - losing my Grandmother in January and Jacob being diagnosed with cancer in February.

I love this picture . . .Jacob is sitting on her lap and it brings me great comfort to know that they are together. What a great reunion that will be when we all get to Heaven.

I am so behind on updating this blog - and I literally have over 500 pictures to share. Will definitely have to narrow it down and post my favorites next week. :) I have many updates floating around in my head and promise to start updating on a more regular basis!

But for now, I am off to go finish packing because my hubby and I are going away for a relaxing and romantic weekend together. Alone, as in just the two of us. As in, NO KIDS! Woo-hoo! :)

Have a great weekend, my friends!

Ending with a scripture . . .

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!"
Philippians 4:4

Filled with JOY,