My Sweet Nana

As many of you know Nana, my great-grandmother, passed away late Sunday night. She passed very peacefully, while surrounded by many loved ones. Her health, both mental and physical, had dropped drastically over the last few months. In the last few weeks of her life here on earth, she had become a distant Nana that neither reflected her well-known zeal for life or her charmingly inviting personality.

George and I were very blessed to have been able to spend as much time with her as we did over the last 6 months. Every time we came home from New York, we were happy to go see our sweet Nana. Some of our visits were spent listening to her stories about special moments in her life, sometimes we would try to update her on our unfamiliar life in New York, and other times were just spent sitting in peaceful silence with her. One thing that she couldn’t avoid was George teasing her with questions like “So tell me about the boyfriends that you have been meeting”, “How many boyfriends do you have?”, “Are they cute?”, etc. This always tickled her and she would finally give in and play back with comments like “they are all too old for me!”. We also would try to keep her updated on her favorite team, the Braves, until she just couldn’t keep up with them anymore.

Each time we were able to see her; it became more and more apparent that she was slipping farther and farther away. She began to refuse to eat and communication became increasingly difficult. Knowing that she wasn’t comfortable and accepting that her mind wasn’t the same were the hardest things to deal with. I wanted MY Nana back in great health and sharp mind… the Nana that I knew growing up, the one who loved to let me play in the sprinklers and pickle bucket, the one who I always wanted to come “wibus”, the one who loved to play dress up with me, the one who made the best cakes in the world, the one who could tell the best stories of her life (even if they were told over and over again :)), and the one who epitomized such pure, unselfish love.

Although I am selfishly sad that I can’t have her with me on earth anymore, I am even happier that she is now in a place so wonderful beyond comprehension. I can only imagine the moment that her beautiful soul arrived in Heaven. I bet that Andaddy (my great-grandfather) was patiently waiting to welcome her, probably in a fishing boat. Oh, what a moment!

Last Tuesday was the last time I would see Nana alive. There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord brought me home last weekend for this reason. Mom and I stopped by the nursing home before heading to Atlanta to catch my flight back to New York. We spent 30 of the most peaceful minutes with her that Tuesday afternoon, and I will never forget a single detail. I can’t speak for my mom or Nana, but I truly had a feeling that it was going to be the last time I would ever see this special person again on earth. This feeling made it a very emotional, yet peaceful, visit. All I wanted to do was hold her and tell her how much I loved her. When the unwanted time came to say goodbye, I knew that not one thing was left unsaid. I gently hugged her fragile body, we exchanged cheek and forehead kisses, and I told her I would see her soon… and one day I will.