7.02.2008

"well done my child"...

... the words,
I have no doubt, she heard entering the gates of Heaven!

My gran-mama died on June 17th... two weeks as of yesterday.
Still shaking my head
and grabbing at my heart not believing it is real.
Selfishness still lingering... wanting
to keep her here with us.
Thoughts of knowing we will see her again one day... brings comfort.

What a FULL life! FULL of zest! FULL of love!
Certainly the most vibrant... colorful... faithful...
proud... confident... woman I have ever known!
She taught me so many things...
to always believe in the power & promise that lies within us
stand tall & face things head on
to always try something once... "why not"
put God first & everything else will fall into place

I will... we all will... miss her terribly!
HER light made US brighter!

Right now... we all know whose she is & where she is...
those gates... they did open WIDE!
We are just human though... we want her with us!

May we now hold on tight to...
the gifts she gave us...
the love she rooted so deeply within us...
the incredible family she made us...
we ARE blessed!

always beautiful

gran-mama & gran-Tom... always dancing

we were all there to hold her hand

fushia rose by her bed

taken May of this year... her last cruise

We love you gran-mama! Thank you for loving us!
We were SO lucky God granted us YOU!

32 comments:

April said...

God be with You and Your Whole Family and Everyone your Gran-Mama touched.

I have yet to lose someone so close to me....I feel that my "human-ness" would also prove very evident....it must be so hard to let go.

Keep her close always...the way you speak of her you can tell she was so very special.

God Bless and Keep You All
April

The Queen's Castle said...

Carissa,
What a wonderful she has been to all of you .... such a light. I know you will miss her but are comforted to know you will see her again.

Carin said...

And I can see the vibrancy you speak of in her smile...so evident in every picture you've just posted. what a wonderful legacy she's left!

so sorry about your loss...I know it must be difficult.

glad you're back...You were missed!

Simply Me... said...

Oh my dear Carissa, I'm so so sorry to hear about your Grandma, I'm so glad to see you, on your blog that is... I hope your doing ok!
The white jar by the rose by her bed,my Mom has that same jar my Dad made it a lamp and my Mom's name is Rose.My mom is still here with us she is going to be 83 in Nov. I will stop by soon! with love, your gal pal Lanny:)

Allikaye's Mama said...

Those were beautiful pictures and a beautiful post! She is truly honored by your loving and kind words! I will pray for peace that passes understanding for you and your family!

Gini said...

lots of love and prayers for you and your family. i hope you find peace in believing what you believe - you are fortunate to have such faith. how great you were able to be close to her at the end. i was "blessed" to be holding my aunt in my arms when she died. and no matter how close i felt to her at that moment, i knew she was off to a great place, just as your grandmother is...

Honorary Indian said...

She is beautiful...and now pain-free and dancing with Jesus in heaven.

Yes, you WILL be reunited again...

But, this does not ease the pain or feeling of intense loss.

So, cry. Cry as much as you need to. But know that God is sad right along with you, and He will lift you up and have you smiling again soon.

XO.

The Runyans said...

i had been thinking of you. . .especially since you hadn't posted. i'm so sorry to hear about her. what a blessing to know that she's walking the streets of gold and possibly hand in hand with jesus!!! one day we'll be there too!

Trish said...

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your gran-mama. Keep you heart open -- she'll be with you. Be still, just listen and trust it's her.

Amy said...

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. What a truely amazing post you wrote about her. I can see where you may have gotten your passion for life...what a fun woman. I'll be thinking of you!!

Glad to see you are home.

Baird's Blessings said...

I am sorry for your loss. But it seems that she lived an amazing life! What wonderful memories you have!

By the way I gave you an award; just go by and pick it up!

melissa ellen parker said...

Your Gran-mama was so beautiful - and you really posted a special tribute. I'm sure she knows how much you love her and maybe even had a hint at how much she taught you. You are so very special and I must say I love your gran-mama too because I love you.

CourtneyP said...

So , so sorry for your loss. Know that she is with you always, watching and guiding. Glad your back.

Gordostyle said...

OMG, I'm so very sorry! My heart and prayers are with you and your family! I'm so glad you have your memories and I just know they will last forever!

God Bless & LOTS & LOTS of hugs!
Jen

Heidi Zawisza said...

Oh, I am so sorry, I don't even know you and I am crying. You made a beautiful post about her life, and what she meant to you. My prayers are with you and your family.

cherish.photography said...

Those are some beautiful pictures of her. I hope your memories bring you some comfort.

Anonymous said...

Carissa, my heart hurts that you are hurting, but rejoices knowing that you will be reunited with your grandma one day.

I said a prayer for you and your family, and asked for the right words to write to bring you some kind of comfort. Then I picked up a Guideposts book my mom gave me recently and opened it to a page, looking for some kind of quote that would be timely.

What was before my eyes was a passage written by a woman whose grandmother recently passed away. Just afterwards, this woman found a letter her grandmother had written her, as if she was writing it from Heaven, after she was gone.

Here's what that grandmother wrote her granddaughter:

I miss all of you down there. Not that I'm lonely or homesick; every day is a good one. Everyone is so helpful and kind.

Just remember, when you are blue or lonely, you are not alone. Just stop for a moment and thank God for all things as they are, for they are working out something beautiful in your life. You may not see it today, but tomorrow is coming, and the sun will rise and shine down your path. Keep sweet. God loves you, and I love you.

-----

You are in my thoughts and prayers, Carissa. The sun WILL rise and shine down your path. And I know you will keep sweet. God loves you, your grandma loves you, and yes, KJ & The Dreamy Giraffe do, as well.

Gypsy at Heart said...

She is a beautiful lady. From the depth of what you wrote I can tell how you will surely miss her. I'm sorry, terribly sorry for your loss and for Gran-Toms loss. He will miss her the most. A tight hug for you dear and my thoughts are with you and your family at this time.

Milena

noodle and lou said...

What beautiful photos Carissa! Sending you and your sweet family tons of hugs and prayers!! xoxox...jenn

sara said...

What a sweet post. I am so sorry for you. She is gorgeous, and is in a much better place...

Hipmomofboyz said...

What a touching post. I will pray for you and your family..

meg duerksen said...

how special to have had her in your life.
grandmothers are so lovely.
this is such a sweet post.

i missed you!!
you were gone for too long.
glad you are back.

MamaMia said...

Praise God for your gran-mama's full life. May He bring you and your family fond memories and comfort your hearts.

Anonymous said...

You have no idea who I am, I've been reading your bog for a while now and love your jewelry and the way your write and share your life. I recently picked-up a book called "90 minutes in Heaven". It's about a man who died for 90 minutes and came back to life due to prayer. Pick it up! I feel like this book ended up in my hands for a reason. It's very moving and powerful. Blessings to you and your family during this difficult time.

Dancing Queen said...

oh carissa, i can't believe it! my grandma passed away june 21...i know you've been gone, but i did a post about her that day just like you...i can't believe our lives have such a sad thing in common & how we've been brought together by blogland...i'm so glad you were there...we saw my grandma 2 weeks before, and i'm glad it was when she was still herself...she quickly took a turn that week later...
i'm actually working on the thank you's to help my parents out...and it is STILL so hard to believe!
thinking & praying for your family!
are you home now?

Liz Harrell said...

Carissa, I'm so so sorry for your loss. She was obviously a beautiful woman.

Mrs. Jones said...

So sorry to hear about your loss. She was clearly a very special grandmother. She will always be with you.

~Heather

Gordostyle said...

I'm sooooo worried about you. Everyday when I check your blog, my heart sinks deep!

Please be wrapped in God's arms through these, obviously, very tough times!

Thinking and PRAYING for you!
Jen

Anonymous said...

I'm thinking about you. You're in my heart and prayers.

meg duerksen said...

missing you...but i saw where you were!
looked like fun.

elambeachbums said...

Hey Carissa, Just want you to know that I have been thinking about you so much. I have vivid memories of your grandma. Miss you! Love you! Holley

Shanan Strange said...

I am so sorry about losing your grandmother. You and your family are in my prayers.