It's been almost 5 years since Pat's mom left her earthly home to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father. We miss her terribly, but have learned to go on and to keep her memory alive. We've told Will about his grandmother since he was born, but he's only just now starting to ask questions. Will has recently been into watching the "Mommy and Daddy" show (aka, our wedding video) and loves to see all his family members on t.v. He's always asking about Pat's mom, "who's that?", "that's daddy's mommy?", etc.
September 27 would have been Pat's mom's 63rd birthday, so we loaded up the fam and headed to Maple Hill Cemetery for a visit. We explained to Will that we were going to see Grandma, and that she lived in heaven with Jesus, and that she was his angel that watched over him everyday when Mommy and Daddy can't. We really had no idea how much he really understood or if he would even be interested in the cemetery until we pulled up. When we got to Pat's mom's grave, he immediately repeated all that we had told him. He remembered to tell her Happy Birthday and was more than excited to have his picture taken with her. There is something to be said about the innocence of a child . When we were leaving he had to run back to her grave to tell her "bye and I love you" one last time. So Sweet.
Reflecting back on her death and how tremendously hard it was on all of us makes my heart hurt. It hurts for my children, who will never really know their Grandmother in this earthly realm. It hurts for my husband who lost his mother way too young. She wasn't able to watch her baby turn 30, or buy his first home, or give him a hug after the birth of his babies. But we do have hope and the reassurance that we WILL see her again one day. She will be there to welcome us home and for that I am thankful. For now, we will go on remembering her and keeping her spirit alive in her grandchildren.
