I wrote this three years ago during the week before my grandma's funeral. I just wanted to make sure that it wouldn't get lost. My grandma was an amazing woman, and I don't want her to be forgotten.
I am not really able to share anything concerning fantasy or my imaginings. Instead this post is dedicated to my Grandma, a wonderful woman who encouraged my writing and for many years was a constant support.
Geneva Agnew. Where on earth do I begin to tell about her? She grew up in a railroad car, her parents were divorced, and she was the youngest in her family. If you met her, you would have thought she had a family history of Christianity instead of being, potentially, a first generation Christian. She was an amazing Christian. She fell in love with and married Papa (Richard Agnew) at a young age. They never loved another afterward. Only death parted them.
Growing up, I knew Grandma as someone who cleaned houses, sewed for people, and made time for her grandkids. What I remember of my first sixteen years, my family and I were always within walking distance of Grandma and Papa. So many days were spent just being near her and spending fun times with her. Getting older, I learned sewing from her, helped her get ready for birthday celebrations, Easter and Christmas celebrations. Things were never old or stale.
Up until the past few months, I could never really pinpoint her age. I was aware that she was at least sixty because I vaguely remembered us celebrating the birthday specifically. But she never struck me as old because she never acted old. One year was dedicated to putting together a scrapbook meant to show that she and Papa weren’t ready for the typical “old people rocking chairs.” They went from a white belt to a black belt in karate in one day. They learned snow boarding from my brother. They drove truck. They went on a motorcycle. Just a few of the things they chronicled for the fun of it. She even went horseback riding on a trail ride because she knew I would enjoy doing it. Many times she’d be on a diet, trying to lose a few pounds, but rarely did she let it keep her from sharing popcorn, ice cream, and dessert with the grandkids.
She liked lavender and the color purple. She loved God and her family. She enjoyed attending Sight & Sound Theater and sharing the experience with some of the grandkids. She would invite us to crawl up on her bed as we watched movies together. She liked fancy dishes and pretty things, but she never put objects before her kids and grandkids. A wide smile was her constant accessory and she always had a ready smile and warm hug. She lived life to the fullest.
Five years before her death, she was diagnosed with melanoma, a skin cancer. From the start, she refused to do radiation or chemo because she didn’t want any of us to remember her forever sick and miserable. Instead she did her best to find natural remedies. For a short time, we believed that the natural remedies were working. But then within the last couple years, it returned with a vengeance in the form of brain tumors. Two surgeries and a gamma ray procedure, at three separate times, later and things were heading downhill much too fast. Then during Christmas 2016, we learned that we had six months at most before she passed. Sadly, she passed January 30, 2017.
So, Grandma, even though I know that you are in Heaven with your Lord, free of pain and suffering, I wish you had been healed and still here. I’ll miss you horribly until we meet again. You were the best grandma in the world. I’ll always love you. I guess that God had just decided that it was time for you to go Home. Again, will forever love you, and miss you until we meet again.
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