Heaven Got More Beautiful

On Tuesday of last week, I received some sad news: my Grandma had passed away.  We're not sure exactly what happened, but we suspect it was a blood clot.  We also suspect it was peaceful and painless, so that is something to be thankful for.

I am lucky that my grandma has always lived right down the road from my house.  She was a woman who always spoke her mind, good or bad, to a fault.  But everyone who knew her has to agree that she had nothing but good intentions.  She loved to make things beautiful, whether it was her garden or her home.  Everyone agrees that she was the original Martha Stewart.  I believe heaven is now a bit more beautiful with her there.

I know that my grandma believed her biggest accomplishment in her life was her children, and her grandchildren and now great-grandchildren.  She was always so proud of us!  She wanted nothing more than to make us feel special, and she did so in many ways.  She took each of us out shopping for our birthdays every year when we were young.  I'll never forget the Christmas she got all the granddaughters American Girl dolls -- one of the most special and favorite Christmas gifts I received as a child.  She decorated her house and set the table so that every detail was perfect at every Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter gathering.

I know she was one of my most "faithful" blog readers, and I will miss her comments about my pictures and posts.  I know she prayed diligently for Luke and I during my struggle to get pregnant, and she was so excited on the day last December when we told her that we were finally expecting!

I am so excited to say that my grandma was able to meet Scarlett about a week before she passed away.  God is so good!  I like to think that His reason that I was induced early was so that Grandma could meet her.

Much of last week was spent at my grandpa's house with the whole family.  It was so bittersweet celebrating Grandma's life and mourning her loss, all at the same time.  the girls of the family had an extra special time on Friday after the funeral going through all of Grandma's jewelry and scarves, and picking out pieces to remember her by.  

A box of memories...

The picture below was taken Tuesday night while we were all outside.  It was a rainy evening, but sometime before or after this, we saw the end of a rainbow appear in my grandparents' garden.  It was a perfect reminder of God's faithfulness and the peace He offers us during times like these.

It is so sad to say goodbye, but I am so blessed to have had such a special woman in my life for 28 years.  I will miss her, but I know she has left a legacy in her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  She was a wonderful Christian woman, and she has passed her faith down through the generations!  I will miss her so much, but I'm so glad she is in a place where she will have no more pain or suffering!