Hi there!

This last week, I celebrated the first day of the rest of my Grandmother-in-law's life. My husband's Grandma Carol went to Jesus on Wednesday, February 25. Although there is a mourning process to go through as I have lost the earthly life of a woman I loved very much, I can be joyous in that she is with her Father, spending the rest of her life without pain and can finally golf again. I can still hear her sweet voice, see her smile, see her beautiful face, and hear her Dolly Pardon type laugh.

Grandma Carol had a very rare lung disease, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, that claimed her life. This disease basically allows anything and everything to be contracted and turn into Pneumonia. Every time Pneumonia hits, scar tissue forms within the lungs until there's so much scar tissue, it closes the air passages in the lungs and eventually you can't breath. Unfortunately, when you know you have the disease, it's too late for any curable treatment such as a lung transplant.

I was never close to my own Grandparents. My Grandmother on my Mom's side of the family passed away when I was very little and she lived in North Carolina so I only met her a handful of times. My Grandmother on my Dad's side was very much a part of my life, however, we didn't have a very good relationship. Actually, we had a very unhealthy relationship. When I met Cameron's Grandma I thought she was an overly sweet woman...almost fake...until I spent the past 9 years getting to know her. I found out very quickly that she had a heart of gold. She loved unconditionally. She had a very gentle personality and was grateful for all the little things you did for her. She was the Grandma that carried around the camera 24/7. At times it did get annoying but that was Grandma.

I remember one time she came up to visit Cam and I. It was late in the evening and we were getting ready for bed. Grandma was sitting on the couch with her piggy socks and P.J.'s. She had her entire, big Grandma purse, dumped out all over our couch in the sort of manner that if you sat on the couch, you had to be careful not to smoosh the cushions so that all of the little accessories would avoid falling in the bottomless pit of the couch cracks. By the way, this was a frequent occurrence. I started laughing and asked her what in the world she was doing...I knew what she was doing but it's always good to get a rise out of Grandma. In her hand lay some sewing needles. She gestured them to me as if that was the only thing she was downsizing and said I'm cleaning out my purse. As the bundle of pens and pencils wrapped in a rubber band, the latest Internet research printed out and folded up, at least three kinds of lotions, a couple of combs a pick and a brush, and every other Grandma-item you could think of lay scattered, Cameron piped up and said, "Grandma, I don't think you'll save any room in your purse by cleaning out a couple of needles."

Grandma, you'll be very missed, but I will see you again soon. And even though I know you were so looking forward to hanging out with your new Great Grandson, I know you'll be watching over him and making him giggle just as much as you made me giggle. And now you don't have to worry about breathing. You have blessed me with so many memories and have taught me what a real Grandma is like. You have humbled me in your sweet gentle way and encouraged me in all I do. Thank you for the mark you have left on my life. I'm so going to miss you.