Saying Goodbye

We said goodbye to a very special Grandma on March 13th...She went to be with Jesus suddenly on March 7th in Florida at the home of her daughter Wilma. It still is so hard to believe that we will not see her smiling face and feel her warm hugs again until we get to heaven.

I thought Kevin said it well on facebook, the day we found out about her passing....

"Remembering my maternal Grandmother Lydia as she joined Jesus today at age 86. What a blessing she was to many and an instrumental part of my youth. She taught me the importance of a relationship with Christ, a close family and a strong marriage. Most importantly, she modeled all these things on a daily basis, continually serving others."

February 2004 - Great Grandma & Grandpa G. with Caedmon - one month

March 2009 - snuggle time with Great-Grandma G. & Kaiya - age three

October 2009 - Great-Grandma G. with Luca Bella - two months old

During a break at the viewing when not many people were in the room with the casket, some of the great-grandchildren were running around the room in front of great-grandma's casket. Two of them were mine :)...I quickly quieted them down and reprimanded their running inside...especially at an occasion such as this! My cousin Greg was there also and said it well... that he thought it was fitting to see and hear the little ones being themselves right next to Great-Grandma and how that's just how she would have loved it. She so adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren!

~I loved seeing her love and hold my children.

~I loved her patience with my children...here she is with Kaiya. Kaiya was fascinated with all the sewing stuff that day. Great-grandma gave Kaiya her own fabric, scissors and thread/needle. Kaiya loved it!

~I loved how she made us each feel like we were her favorite grandchild or great-grandchild.

~I loved how she helped me with applesauce, quilting baby quilts and sewing project advice.

~I loved how she encouraged me as a mom each time I saw her.

~I loved her gentle honesty and convictions.

~I loved her commitment and love of her family.

~I loved her cookies.

~I loved spending time with her and grandpa in Florida.

~I loved her hugs and the excitement she always showed when we would see her.

This was in March 2009 in Florida when we stayed with them. This was our last morning in Sarasota when we were getting ready to leave to spend a few days in Orlando. Grandma packed little surprises for the kids (in Kaiya's hand) and even for Kevin and I. She put two reader's digest magazines in a bag along with some chocolates. She always put so much thought into things like that. I will miss that.

A sad rainy day.

Grandma's funeral brought family home from far and wide. What a blessing to get to see our niece and nephews from Alabama again. We all stayed at Kevin's parents house for the weekend...what joy!Aunt Joyce and Luca Bella.
Kevin's brother was able to come home from Costa Rica as well. We were overjoyed to soak up time with him, but missed the rest of his family terribly.

What a guy! He was such a blessing to us over the weekend. He rode with us to and from family events throughout the weekend and helped so much with the kids, carrying the car seat countless times. Thanks, Krista, for loaning him to us.
A true joy in the midst of the sorrow was to have family come together.
Great-Grandchildren Grandchildren
Siblings with spouses
Quotes of the day:
Great-Grandma's death and funeral became a teachable moment for our two oldest children. It really got them thinking about life and death...and it sparked alot of questions and cute comments.

Caedmon: "When I die and go to heaven, will my hair go with me?"

Kaiya: "Luca is thinking about you, mom. That's why she has tears, because she's thinking about you when you get old and die."

a couple weeks later...

Kaiya: "I'm going to cry, mom, when you're a grandma and die."