Grandma Geri's Memorial

9/23/10 - Grandma Geri

We lost David’s mother on Sunday, September 5^th, when she passed away peacefully in her sleep.  Just the night before, Eva had spoken to her on the phone, telling her how she was starting Kindergarten and ballet, and had a new pink tutu.  Though she had been unable to speak back, Aunt Nanci said she smiled when she heard Eva’s chirpy voice.  The week prior, we had chatted with Grandma via Skype, when she was still lively and sitting upright in her wheelchair.  Uncle Larry and Aunt Laura had come down to Escondido to celebrate her 78^th’ birthday, and Aunt Nanci had used the webcam on her laptop to let Grandma Geri chat with the girls.  Eva showed her recent handwriting and artwork, Amanda made silly faces in the camera, and I aimed our webcam at the floor so Grandma could see Bethany pull herself up to a stand and clap her hands.  The girls have lost a wonderful, loving grandmother, and she will be sorely missed.

It saddens me to think that Eva is probably the only one old enough to really remember her.   I decided to put together a photo album of her so the girls will always have a way to remember their grandmother.   I included our own pictures and dozens family photos that were painstakingly scanned and uploaded by Uncle Dennis (a real labor of love).  I’m still trying to figure out the names and captions for many of them, but I hope when we’re finished it will be an accurate and treasured record of family history. 

Saying Good-Bye

A week after Grandma Geri passed, we flew down to San Diego to attend her memorial service.  The service was held at the Palomar Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.   It was good to see all the family and friends who came to pay their respects and share antecdotes.  Dennis and Kent put together a wonderful slideshow of Geri, from her baby pictures until recently.  David wrote a moving tribute to his mom:

 

“When I think of my mom, I think of the love of God because she was such an example of sacrificing herself for her kids. She had to be both our provider and our caretaker, at the same time living with crippling pain, pain that would have cause a lot of people to give up. Although she lived in severe pain, she always made sure her kids came first. Every day she got up and worked hard so we could have things that we wanted, not just things that we needed. It’s hard for a kid to understand that, but as a man looking back, I can truly appreciate her sacrifice.

My mom to me reminds me of the Proverbs 31 woman. So many characteristics apply to her:

“She rises while it is still night, and provides food for her household.”

“Strength and honor are her clothing, she shall rejoice in time to come.”

“She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed…”

I’m really thankful that God chose her to be my mother. He used her to show me what true sacrificial love looked like, the same sacrificial love that He has for all of us. I’m glad that her suffering is over, and that she finally gets to enjoy a new body. A body that will never suffer pain again. The book of Revelations says that heaven is a place where “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." I look forward to seeing her again when my time on earth is done. Seeing her whole, and healed, and at peace in God’s presence.” 

Time Flies

When you first have a baby, everyone tells you to “enjoy this time while you can, because they grow up so fast!”   That is so true.  I look at Eva now - so inquisitive, so observant, so creative, so full of an active imagination – and wonder, when did my baby turn into this big 5-year-old?   I watch as Amanda transitions out of the toddler stage to become a confident 3-year-old, talking in full sentences and giving Eva a run for her money as they climb and jump and play.  Bethany is my only baby now, but even she is trying to walk at every opportunity, and it’s obvious she’s impatient to give up crawling and run after her sisters.   

 

I love her chubby cheeks, her baby toes, and the way her little curls stick out all askew when she wakes up from her nap (it’s so cute, I almost don’t want to smooth it out).   But I’m also going through my third bout of sleepless nights courtesy of the tortuous one-year molars, and a sore neck and back from carrying a baby who’s getting too heavy to constantly carry, but doesn’t want to be put down (at least not until the Tylenol kicks in).  It’s difficult during these wearying stages to simply appreciate this fleeting time (around 2am, one gets the feeling it’s not “fleeting” fast enough). 

 

From the Mouths of Babes

You never really know how much kids have absorbed until you sit back and listen to what comes out of their mouths when they don’t realize you’re listening.  One morning Amanda brought me her Little Mermaid doll because the head had popped off.  I quickly snapped it back on and sent her on her way.  A few minutes later, I heard Eva and Amanda praying together, “Dear Jesus, we ask you to please help Little Mermaid’s head to feel all better.  In Jesus name, Amen.”  I peeked over with smothered laughter, and Eva explained, “the dolls are praying for the Little Mermaid because her head was broken.”