Saying Goodbye

Last week, our family held services to celebrate my Grandma Shirley's life and to say goodbye.  It was such a bittersweet day.  On one hand, it was so nice to see family and share such precious memories of my sweet Grandma.  Knowing that she is now with the Lord and she has looked upon His face, is a reason for us all to rejoice.  However, Grandma's passing has been heart breaking.  Our world just isn't the same without her...I miss her so much.  In the days before Grandma passed, my mom, Ashley, and I painted Grandma's nails red.  As a way to honor my Grandma, all of the girls in the family painted their nails red.  We are missing quite a few girls in this picture, but I love this little tribute.

Grandma was such a family woman.  I'm sure that she looked down from heaven and smiled when she saw us all gathered together.  In fact, her entire service was done by family.  My cousin, who is a pastor, opened the services.  My brother-in-law, Chad, preached and sang.  My brother, Billy, sang.  I was also able to stand up and share a few words about my Grandma.  I think the services were perfect and I felt honored to have been included in them.  After the services, we met at Grandma and Grandpa's church for a wonderful dinner.  All of the girls in the family got flowers.  As you can tell, they really enjoyed them.

After dinner, we stopped by our house to change. Then, we visited at Grandpa's house with family for a while.  Our little family took a picture with Grandpa.

 I love this picture, but the shadow under my chin makes me look like a have a goatee. 

I think one of the best and worst things about having a broken heart, is that time doesn't stand still.  We don't get to pause life for a moment and put our scattered thoughts together.  Groceries still need to bought.  Clothes need to be washed.  School events still happen.  Those things make for a beautiful distraction from the grief.  There are moments when it feels so fresh and others where I feel like I've reached the point of acceptance.  I know this is all part of the process.  It's just not easy to say goodbye to someone who has been such a big part of your life.
Grandma Shirley will always occupy a big piece of my heart.  She will be forever loved and forever missed.