As many of you know, my Maw-maw passed away Sunday April 17, 2011. My dad was with her at the hospice. She let him know it was time, and he called my mom, my uncle and her best friend. They were all there. She held on to say good-bye. My uncle was the last to get there. Once he arrived, he held her hand, told her it was okay to go. So she did. This makes me so unbelievably happy: she didn’t get to say good-bye when my Paw-paw died. I know it was important for her to provide it for her family.
She was a spirited woman, to put it lightly, and stubborn and opinionated. It was her wish to “die today, be in the ground tomorrow.” My mom pulled it off. Maw-maw took her place by Paw-paw by 4:45 the next day. She would have fumed at the fuss. We had flowers - my mom said she has been picking flowers for her Mama for as long as she can remember and she’ll be damned if she doesn’t do it now. A Lot of people were there and my sister said to me that if she could, Maw-maw would be stern,” Git the hell out of here!” My dad said that’s why they’re here - we all knew exactly where we stood with her. :-)
My uncle bared his soul. The man has a mental disorder, is flawed and has made awful choices in his life. But I saw his humanity and he is a good person at heart. I’m so very glad to have witnessed it.
I’m amazed at the support of this small community. It was a 20 minute drive from the home to the grave and nearly every car pulled to the side of the road on the four lane highway. A man stopped mowing his lawn to remove his hat. A teenager on his motorbike removed his helmet. Two mayors, one current, of her town were among the pallbearers. She meant a lot to this town and her absence will be a tough wound for some time.
Thank you all for your support and condolences. There are tough moments ahead for my mother, so keep her in your prayers for strength.
