With a Heavy Heart....

It is with a heavy heart that I post today.  I just found out that my sweet friend KK's -- whose baby G is still in NICU on a ventilator but doing well!! -- beloved grandmother passed away.  I say 'beloved' in the most literal meaning of the word.  This woman was BELOVED by many.

I don't normally get too upset with death.  I know Sue Sue loved her Lord greatly.  She was truly a Godly woman.  I'm upset today though, because it marks the end of an era.  And my heart hurts for KK who has had to leave her sweet baby and come home to deal with this.

It might seem odd to be so upset about a friend's grandmother, but you see KK, her mother, and brother lived with her grandparents.  And, as I've said before, I spent many, many, MANY hours with them.  They lived out on a ranch and KK and I roamed the woods, listened to Amy Grant while swimming in the pool Pop had made himself, pretended to be Native Americans Indians while under an oak with limbs that touched the ground (making the perfect hiding spot), chilled our Coke cans in the cool creek waters....

And all the while Sue Sue was there.  Making us matching outfits.  Giving us hats (yes, hats!) to decorate.  Listening to us tell stories of our plans from the church lock-in to the boys we thought were cute.  She even drove their van and did Chinese fire drills with us!

An artist, a free spirit, an amazing woman, and a Godly example for me as a young girl.  I'm blessed to have had so many Godly examples in my life.  She is among the top.

I'm grateful to the Lord for putting her in my life.  I'm grateful to her for helping to mold me, listen to me, and devote so many hours into my upbringing.  She was rare.  She was amazing.

Perhaps you've never had a Godly woman in your life.  Oh how my heart aches over that.  As women, we often fall short of who our God has created us to be.  Let me just say this, even if you've never had that person to help mold you:  You can become that person to someone.  The Lord can use you in someone's life.  You can become the one to disciple them.  Mold them.  Teach them. 

Today I'm spending the day reminiscing on the horrible blueberry muffins we made in hollowed out orange peels over a campfire; her Oscar de la Renta perfume bottles all over her bathroom; her reading glasses perched atop her nose while she touched her pursed lips to her nose (I do this as well....and I've always known exactly who I got it from!!  Perhaps I tried to emulate her.) as she read the Word; HER SMILE; her love for her sweet, sweet man; her laughter.

And one of the best Sue Sue memories I have was her description of their phone #.  The last four digits were explained as thus:  the first 2 were a teen number, so she explained that was HER AGE; the last two digits were an almost Social Security receiving age, which she described as POP'S AGE.  And everyone remembered her phone number.  And truly, she acted more like a teen than a senior citizen.

I love you, Sue Sue.  And I thank you for your example.  You can count on this:  when I see you again I will say "oh, about 14 miles!"

And I'm pretty excited that you're with Pop again.