Sunday, September 25, 2016

My Grandma Beute is Home

I am sitting here feeling kinda numb, listening to my kids sniffling.  We just got word that my grandma (their great grandma) Beute died.  It is one of those times we feel very far away.

Grandma was 97 and died peacefully this morning.  It was almost exactly one year ago on Sunday morning that grandpa Beute died.  


Grandma was amazing for 97 years old!  But the last few months had been difficult.  Her mind has been confused for awhile now but lately she was very upset too.  We are thankful the last week grandma was more comfortable.  She was ready to go home.  What a blessing to know Jesus!  Like my dad said this morning on the phone, "What a Sunday she is having."  Grandma is in God's presence!


But we have a loss.  We will not see her again.  We loved her.  Yes, grandma was grandma.  She had her bitterness and her walls build to protect herself from anymore pain.  She lived through a lot of pain and resulted in anger.  But she was also grandma with butter cookies, pringles, and tea time.  Each year when we were little she would pick us up from school and take us anywhere we wanted to eat for our birthday.  Grandpa and Grandma were at each birthday, holiday, baptism...how easily you can take for granted something, someone that is/was always there.  At Sunset grandma and grandpa always made sure everyone knew you were their grandchild.  They were so glad when we visited and were so proud of us and I felt loved by them.


I both want to hide and forget about the loss/pain and want to be there with everyone and have the time to grieve and closure.  Ignore it and embrace it.  How do you grieve from far away?  I know the reality is being in MI isn't the answer or better either.  It is just hard to be reality from here.


As always with the death of a loved one it reminds me to value and love people while we have them.  The older and wiser I get, the more I value older people and am saddened to see too often they are forgotten and not valued.  We are a selfish culture and self focused people.  But life is precious.  Time is precious.  All things will fade away -meaningless.  God created us to love and worship Him and love others.  That is the meaning to life.


Please pray for my Dad and Mom and the Beute family as they mourn.  Pray for them as they plan and then have the funeral.  Thank God for His timing and that my Mom could be there this week.  She flies on Friday to be with us in Africa to watch our kids during a conference we have with FinC.  Pray her and for Dad as he is home alone - and still grieving.  

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