The Lowe Down: Grandmama

This past week, our family lost its matriarch. My grandmother passed away on Good Friday, April 6th. She was a wonderful lady who lived her life with passion. She was blessed with 87 years of life, and was mentally present until the very end. I am so sad for the loss of her for myself and my family, but so happy that she is resting peacefully with my grandfather, her husband of 61 years. I will miss her strength, her sharp memory, and her boundless, unconditional love for her family. I hope to live as long and full a life as she did.

Today was her funeral, and my father, sister, brother and I gave personal witnesses to her blessed life. I want to share the words I spoke with you.

In reflecting on what I wanted to share with you today, I began thinking about the influence my Grandmama had on my life and the many things she has taught me, so I today I'd like to pass some of her wisdom on to you. Here are 4 life lessons I learned from Grandmama:
1. Everything is better with chocolate. Anyone who knew my grandmother knew how much she loved to cook and bake. While I didn't inherit her kitchen skills, I did inherit her sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chocolate. We never visited when there wasn't a batch of brownies, cookies, or a cake sitting on the counter. Every Christmas, she and my grandfather spent the entire day baking up a storm, and making sure each person got their favorite cookie that year. Mine of course, just like my grandmother's, involved some kind of chocolate.
2. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. My grandmother loved shiny, sparkly things, and we spent countless hours going through her jewelry boxes when we were little. Each piece had a special story, from the friendship bracelet with her and her best friends' name on it to the Mother's Ring with each of our birthstones. My favorite was her gorgeous engagement ring, and she always told me I would have one of my own one day. And the day I got one, no one was happier that my grandmother.
3. The devil is in the details. If you spent any time at my grandparents' house, inevitably you'd be in the kitchen with Grandaddy telling you a story. And let's just say that Grandaddy never let facts get in the way of a good story. So he'd tell the story, and then he'd get to a seemingly insignificant detail like the time of day, and he'd say "It was 8:07." And then from the back or downstairs or wherever she was you'd hear: "Hammie, it was 8:09!" He'd roll his eyes and keep going, but Grandmama was a firm believer that the little details counted.
4. Never, never give up. My grandmother was a passionate woman and a strong woman. She fought through her life for the health and well-being of her family and herself. And I'm proud to say she was a fighter until the last. I saw her last Wednesday, and she had this huge breathing mask on her face, and she couldn't talk well and it was very uncomfortable. At some point during the day, they decided to take it off, and the minute it came off, we heard that clear, strong voice say, "First of all..." and she read the nurse the riot act, making sure she got everything in she had been wanting to say. Even tiny, sick, unable to move in a hospital bed, she had her spunk and her sharp mind with her until the very end. We should all be so lucky.
Obituary for my Grandmama