Getting Ready for Goodbyes

The lovely woman pictured is my grandmother, holding my daughter about a week after she was born. I love this photo because you can see the gentleness and adoration beaming from her towards this new great-grandchild, the last she will ever know - the first born without my grandfather there to count her toes.

My grandma had a stroke yesterday, the second of her life. My parents didn't notify me until hours later. She is stable, but is under careful watch in the hospital. Her heart rate is very off and her blood pressure terrifyingly high. A cardiologist is seeing her this morning.

This woman is the pillar of our family. She is regal, beautiful, calm, amazingly energetic, and has a heart every woman should strive for. She loves her family, her Lord and her life. Some of the fondest memories of my life involve this amazing person. I am not ready to say goodbye.

But I know that as she ages, her health will be comprimised. I know that goodbye will come sooner than later. The same is true with my parents, both of whom are fighting terminal illnesses. The fact that my father has chemo today is a very real and present fact that his days on Earth will be shortened. And getting ready for the goodbyes is not something I'm doing well.

Life is going to be a whole lot different in the years to come. As I prepare for it, I can be thankful for the memories I have and thankful that my children have had years to know them. While it's not something I'm ready for, I know that its time to start getting ready for goodbyes.