we'll miss you!

top: grandma, maryjane holding brady, Julia, Kyler with Tim
on bed: TJ, Sally, Jake, Susan


Grandma Stella passed away last week. Although we are sad to be without her, everyone knows it was her time. She was 89 years old and as I mentioned in an earlier blog had suffered a stroke that left her blind. Just last week she had another stroke, heart attack, broke her hip and her kidneys were failing. This left her very angry and irritated, which was not the Stella we knew. This to me was a sign her body could no longer keep up with her spirit.

The services were beautiful, a wonderful celebration of the life she lived and the values & memories she left behind. She was and still is an inspiration to those who knew her. I was thinking about our last visit with her and the photos posted below. Although I knew it may be one of the last times we got to be in her presences, I couldn't have known it would be the last. Now I look back at those photos again, where we said good bye and she had all of us laughing with her playful personality. And lastly, the thought that sticks with me the most, is the image of her hand and how it symbolizes her life. All the babies she held and loved, the countless times she gently placed them together to pray, the endless meals she cooked for her four boys and others she welcomed in her home, the fun arts & crafts she proudly made in her assisted living home, the harsh hand that disciplined her children, the letters she wrote to friends and family, and the small, petite ring she wore around her fragile, aging finger that represents her marriage & family. That's all she ever wanted in life, a simple girl from a small town, with alot of love to give. Stella's family was everything to her, just as she was to us. These are life's riches and she was a wealthy woman.