Mama

We had another unexpected loss in our family last week & this time it was my other grandmother. She was my mom's mother & we called her Mama. Unfortunately, her health had declined over the past year but she was still having lots of good days. A few months ago my parents moved her to Conroe to be by them because she lived outside Lubbock & my mom was making way too many trips to Lubbock to take care of her. The good news is that my mom got to spend the last couple of months spending more time with her & taking care of her. She got to take her out to eat, take her to church, take her to get her hair or her nails done, etc. And she also got to spend more time with my sister & I with our kids whenever we were around. Unfortunately, the last couple of months she has been moved in out & the hospital/rehab facility/assisted living places. She would be doing good & then something would happen & she would be back in the hospital again. The last time she was transported to the hospital was last week & this time she didn't get to leave. Her poor body couldn't fight anymore & as much as we didn't want to lose her, I am so glad she is no longer unhappy or suffering. We all know she is in a better place than any of us & quite honestly, I think she was ready to go. Unfortunately, her funeral was last Thursday in Balmorhea & we were not able to attend. For those who don't know, Balmorhea is in West Texas near Pecos, which is where my parents are from. It is a small town (population 482) & is almost 8 hours away from our house. We had planned on going until Wednesday afternoon, when I kind of started feeling overwhelmed. The thought of taking a 3 week old baby on a 16 hour road trip in less than 48 hours with me feeding every 2 1/2 - 3 hours was too much. And it was a graveside service & I was afraid the weather would be windy & cold, so she would have to stay in the car. Needless to say, we ended up not going. I feel horrible about not being there, for my grandmother & for my mom, but I hope that my Mama is looking down on us & understands. From what I hear, it ended up being a beautiful day (you could even see the mountains from the cemetery since it was so clear outside), my cousin officiated the ceremony & did a great job & most of our family was able to attend. I think she would have loved it.

 

In memory of her, I tried to dig through some of my photos in recent years for pictures of her. The most I found were at her 75th birthday party:

 

 

Here she is with her 2 daughters:

 

 

And with her grandchildren:

 

 

I even found a picture of her that weekend blowing bubbles with the kids in the back yard:

 

 

She loved all of her great grandchildren & was able to meet 6 out of 7. Unfortunately, she had not gotten the chance to meet Sophie yet, but she did have the opportunity to spend time with Sadie. In fact, she even came when Sadie was born:

 

 

She was such a great example for our family & we will definitely miss her but I will fondly remember the special times we had with her. We will miss you Mama!