September 3, 1996
On September
3, 1996, I was 12 & 1/2 (that 1/2 was very important
in those days!). I was in the 7th
grade at Warren County High School. I
had just recently joined the youth group at church, which was probably
considered one of the most important things in the world at that time in my
life. My best friends were Jenny,
Tiffany and Rebecca. Every day I rode to
school with Cail, who was a senior in high school. She was still driving Maurus the Taurus at
this time, and I would tell on her for playing her music too loudly and driving
too fast.
For the 3
weeks proceeding September 3, things in our house had been in a bit of a
whirlwind. School had started, but
Granny had gone into the hospital right around the same time. Realize, my memory on those weeks is from a 12
years old's perspective. I remember it
was not serious when she had first gone in.
Then I remember she had a heart attack while there which escalated the
severity of the situation. Then, she
started getting better again, and everyone seemed to be breathing a little
lighter. Mama was gone to Augusta a
lot. But as Granny started improving,
she started being home more. Then one
night around dinner time Mama got a phone call from Uncle Hollie that things
were no longer so good. My Aunt and
Uncle flew in from Texas. Mama left that
night after dinner. Going to Augusta when
it was dark outside meant things were once again very serious.
We went to
the hospital to visit her. Mama talked
to Anna and I outside the ICU doors and explained to us what we would see when
we went back. Granny would look
different, she said. Our fears over took
us, and we ultimately decided not to go back.
This is a decision the adult me is very glad for. My memories of her are only precious…not
riddled with medicine and scary images.
September 3,
Cail pulled into the driveway after school with Anna and I and Daddy’s car was home. I knew something was going on for his car to
be home that early. When we went inside,
Mama and Daddy quickly ushered us into the living room. The lamps were all off, but the sunlight lit
the room from the sliding glass doors.
They explained that morning Granny had gone to be with Jesus in heaven,
and how grateful we should be she was no longer sick. There were tears, of course. We adored our Granny. She was, in the strongest sense of the word,
beloved. As we all scattered from the living room, Daddy made Anna and I a
snack. Sliced Apples in the small silver
mixing bowl with cinnamon sprinkled on top.
All these 18 years later, and I still remember that snack. It’s amazing what the mind zeroes in on.
We sat on
the porch and ate our snack and then was a sudden heavy downpour. I remember thinking it truly felt like the
angels were crying with us. Just as
suddenly as it had started, the rain stopped and a huge visible rainbow filled
the muggy sky. My parent’s house is surrounded by pine trees in all
directions. The fact that we saw that
rainbow at all is a miracle in and of itself.
I knew in my heart God was
telling me she was there, and she was okay now.
And I felt peace.
So on today,
18 years later, I am reminded of that day.
The day we said goodbye to one of the most wonderful people you would
ever know. And the day, for the first
time in my life, I felt the embrace of God’s love and faithfulness. Anytime I have had doubts over the years, I
try to remember that afternoon, and those apples, and that downpour, and that
rainbow, and remember that not only does he have my Granny safely in his arms,
but he has me too.
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| Mothers Day Brunch at FBC - 1995 |
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| Granny meets her 13th Grandchild with big sis Cail- BABY ME! (Leigh) |
"I dreamed of a city called Glory,
And it was So bright and so fair
When I entered that gates I cried, "Holy"
O, The angels all met me there
They carried me from mansion to mansion,
And oh the sites I saw.
But I said, "I want to see Jesus,
The One who died for all."
