The last week was a particularly long one for me.
My Nana has been in perfect health all her life and then suddenly took a turn for the worse after a visit to her Dr. for some back pain. She suffered for about a week, so getting the call yesterday that she had passed peacefully in the night, surrounded by her daughters, was a relief. It all happened so suddenly, I'm still having trouble wrapping my brain around it.
I told Tim that she had passed away and he tearfully told me that if there was a word he could describe her with, it would be gentle. I've been remembering my Nana and my Papa (he passed away about 14 years ago) and came up with some words of my own...
Fragrant...there are particular smells that make me think of my Nana. Avon's Dew Kiss lip balm. She always had some in her purse, along with Trident original gum, certs and mentos. One of her favorite perfumes was Chantilly, and to this day, every time I smell it, I think of her.
Soft...my Nana always had the softest skin.
Generous...it seems that every time I saw her, she had a gift for me. When she'd come visit us when I was a kid she always had presents. I remember getting lots of Hello Kitty things. The lip balm reminds me of her. She also gave me an 18" Snoopy, Belle and Woodstock doll. I loved those things and she was always sending me clothes for them to play with. When I got older I would recieve money in the mail "just because". She always had her grandchildren in mind.
Silly...my Nana seriously had a silly sense of humor. She would often use the phrase "Oh Yippie!" when she was being sarcastic. She had a funny look she'd get on her face when she was being mischevious that always made me giggle. She'd get excited at the grocery store like a little kid when she saw something new she wanted to try. We were at the store one time and she saw these chips that had cinnamon and sugar on them. She said to me, "Oooo Kerri, don't you think we should try these?" Then when we got home she ate them up and was so excited. She was a funny lady.
Another time, at my Papa's funeral, we were at her house remembering Papa and having a good time when she backed into a cake that we were deliciously partaking of. It was hilarious! She had frosting on her little bum that we had to scrape off with a knife. After that, she started referring to herself as "sweetcheeks". Ohhh my goodness she made me laugh!
Thoughtful...she was always prepared when we came to visit. She had cereral in mini boxes, boxed juice in her little juice holder, snacks that we liked, candy in the candy dish. She would get up early to make breakfast and make toast with bread my Papa made. She had a clip that she would use to get the toast out of the toaster oven and little glasses for the juice. She had toys for us to play with and lots of blankets.
Cook...she was a wonderful cook. She made the most delicious filled cookies and every Christmas she would bring them all the way from California. Once she found a new recipe that she liked, she'd cook it over and over and over. One of her favorite's was my cousin Tami's recipe: Mushy Chicken. EVERY time Granty and I took the kids to visit, she made that for dinner and it was delicious!
Intuitive...my Nana and I wrote a lot of letters. I have them all in a box and I lost count after 200. She would write me letters at the most random time, but they always came when I needed them. I once had an extremely difficult time when I was in college and she wrote me letters of encouragement almost weekly. One letter said, "Life does deal us some pretty hard blows now and then. The one you have recieved has been a tough one to cope with. Stay strong, keep your chin up and your spirits, too! Have faith in the future. Sometimes God says wait, and boy is that hard!" Her words echo in my ears often when times get tough.
Advisor...when Granty and I first found out about our son Tim, she was there at my mom's house. I sat down and had a talk with her about how worried I was to have a 4 yr old who could talk back to me, had bad habits, wouldn't obey me, etc. and she said, "Kerri, all you need to do is love him. He's a lucky little boy to have you for a mom." I was still fearful to say yes to adopting Tim, but Nana kept saying I could do it. She was so right!
Love...my Nana was full of love. Each time I saw her, her arms would open wide for a hug. Everyone knew that Nana loved them. She was always doing, doing, doing for other people and rarely did anything for herself. Her selfless nature has blessed us all.
There are so many other words that could describe my Nana. Words like happy, thrifty, delightful, smart, obedient, christ-like and gentle. She left her handprint on my heart and life just won't be the same without her. The world is definitely a little dimmer without her light. I'm so grateful for the knowledge that I have that I will see her again one day. The rejoicing she and my Papa must be doing right now would be a sight to see! I am so glad they have been reuinited. I look forward to the day I see them both again. I love you my sweetcheeks Nana!
