The end

My last post was on July 27th. In that post, I mentioned that my grandmother had been informed that she had a maximum of six months to live. Well, it turns out that was a very generous estimate. She passed away on August 16th, about three weeks later.

My aunt called in Hospice on Friday, Aug. 14th, when it became apparent that the pain was getting worse and she needed more intense treatment. They came and let us know that she didn't have much time left, and if we wanted to talk to her, we needed to do so immediately. She continued to speak with us well into Saturday, Aug. 15th. By Saturday night, she was no longer talking. She was on pain medicine and her breathing was shallow.

On Sunday morning, at about 9:30 a.m., she drew her last breath, just about the time she'd normally be starting church. It was a beautiful, sunny morning. My grandpa had decided earlier that he was not going to church on that morning, but he went on to get his church clothes on, splash on some cologne, etc. After she died, I realized that he knew that she wouldn't be there after that day. He got dressed up to see her off. I found out later that both he and my mom had prayed earlier that morning for a quick end to her suffering.

My grandpa, mom, aunt, two uncles, two cousins and myself were all there when she died. It was very peaceful - no laboring, no gasping, etc. I know my grandma was so tired of hospitals, so it was fitting that she was able to die at home.

We had her viewing this past Wednesday evening. There were well over 500 people there. She touched a ton of people in her life. She was the epitome of a good person. The funeral was held on Thursday afternoon. Everything was perfect. The sermon, the flowers, the casket - everything. I was able to help with some of the services. I wrote the obituary, put together a picture slideshow and created the CDs with the music for the service.

The forecast called for rain all day, but when we made our way to the cemetery for the graveside service, the sun was shining brightly and all was well. We then made our way to her church, where they had prepared a meal for the family and friends. As we were finishing up at the church, it started to pour outside. This lasted for five minutes or so. Afterward, everyone began making their way to the cars. We noticed a double rainbow. It seemed to be almost pointing at the church at one end. the other end seemed to be going to the cemetery and it was visible for more than 10 minutes. It almost seemed like she was telling us goodbye and letting us know she was okay.

I spent the better part of the week before she passed at her house. In fact, I've spent a lot of time with her over the past three years, since I moved back to Ohio from Texas. I feel so lucky that I was able to be around her so much. I see now just how important it was that I make the move. I miss all of my friends dearly, but family is just too important to ignore.