Grandma

My Grandma passed away peacefully in her sleep earlier this week. It has been a sad week of tears and memories and sorrow for time gone by, but amid all this, I have been struck at times with immense joy and hope. Heaven is our goal, and Grandma made it. She is in paradise with Jesus and Grandpa, and that makes me so happy for her. She is home. 

Grandpa and Grandma have always been such an inspiration to me. I remember writing them a note as a teen telling them that I wanted to be like them when I grew up, but at the time that seemed kind of abstract. I knew they had something good, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. What was it that made them shine the way they did? 

Now I think I understand. Their focus on their faith, their marriage, and their family (in that order) made all the difference. Now I have so many questions I'd love to ask them, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that the advice they would have probably given can be gleaned from the lives they lived. Faith, service, and love were always their focus, and that is their legacy. 

The priest gave a beautiful homily at Grandma's funeral in which he talked about the "burden of knowledge". He said that once we know, we have to tell others. He said that what we have learned from Grandma, we now must pass on in the way we live our lives. Thank you, Grandma, for a beautiful example of a life well-lived. Pray for us.