Grandma and mothers day

I feel so blessed to have a mom and to be a mom. Sunday was a sweet day just thinking about the gift of motherhood, and also appreciating what my mom has been for me. There is nothing that opens your eyes more to the endless sacrifices that your mom gave for you than becoming a mom yourself. I can always count on my mom to empathize with me, offer advice, and to just feel sorry for me outloud when it comes to the hardships of being a mom.

This mothers day was bittersweet though. As Stephen and Blakely appreciated me, my mom's mom was passing away. She lost consciousness Sunday afternoon and passed away Monday evening.

I have always been very close to my grandma, but my deepest sadness is for my mom losing her mom. I just can't, and don't want to imagine.

My grandma- Betty Lou Yount was one of my favorite people. I feel very lucky to have had the relationship that I did with my grandma. I grew up 5-6 hours away from my grandparents, and I feel like it gave me a greater appreciation for my time with them. Seeing them was always exciting and something I looked forward to. For as long as I can remember, my grandma was one of my favorite people. I would have told you she was my best friend until sometime in late middle school, and only not then because I realized it was normal to have a best friend a little closer to my age. :) When my brother and I were really young we started going to their house for weeks every summer. I said I was going to college in smithville (where my gma lived) until I was old enough to understand that there was no college in smithville. And after that I still said, for a very long time, that I was moving there when I grew up.

My cousins and I would eat at "Betty's Diner." Where she would make us eggs to order, serve us juice out of wine glasses and let us eat off her nice china. We would fight over who she would rock on her lap, and luckily her lap was big enough for 2 of the 3 of us. She and I would play cards- "13"- and she usually beat me. We'd stay up late and drink homemade tomato juice and watch "Golden Girls" and "Roseanne"- which was a special treat since I wasn't allowed to watch it at home. :) She taught me how to cook and bake. I even recently got a lesson in how to make her homemade jelly, and I had my first solo attempt a few days ago. I made a huge mess, burned myself, and Stephen says I'm not allowed make jelly again- but I'd say it was a success! :)

When my grandparents would come visit, my gram would sleep with me and my gpa would sleep on the couch. We would stay awake talking for way too long, then she'd keep me awake snoring. She had a very distinct snore that I will never forget. :) It wasn't until pretty late into high school that I finally stopped crying when they left our house or we left theirs. I genuinely couldn't fight back the tears because I hated to see them go.

My grandma was pretty notorious for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. She was usually the first to tell me when I had put on weight, lost too much, or my hair looked bad. She might have been accused of being insensitive, but she certainly didn't require any special treatment herself. she expected the same honesty from everyone else. I would rudely try and tell her that she had put on some weight herself, but she never cared. She'd just laugh and agree. It was one of her strengths. You never had to wonder where you stood with her. She'd let you know long before you wondered. And she was loyal. She always stuck up for and fought for the people she loved. Ask my dad- it took him a while to convince her he was good enough for my mom.
She had a great sense of humor and a lively cackle to go along with it. She was always making fun and joking around with everyone. And she was always up for a good time. Her energy was impressive for an over 70 year old woman. She was always the one pushing for us to get up at 3am for the black Friday deals. She didn't even want or need the deals- she just thought it was fun. Even after she found out she had terminal cancer, she continued to live her life and planned to stick around for many years longer than we were lucky enough to have her. Sometimes her optimism was frustrating- but it was the best thing for her.

My grandma was very special to me. I feel blessed that Blakely got to spend quite a bit of time over the last year and a half with her. Blakely liked her. Monday morning we visited her and I told Blakely to give my grandpa and cousin hugs goodbye, and Blakely insisted on giving grandma a hug too.

It was hard watching her suffer these last few weeks, and because of that I am thankful that she is no longer in pain. But it still- and will for a long time- hurts to know that one of the most special people in my life is no longer here.

I am reminded more this week than ever of God's control over all our lives. Whether we choose to give it to him or not. As we anxiously wait for Henry to get here, we are grieving the loss off my grandma. Job's words have never felt more true "He gives and takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." -Job 1:21