God Bless My Grands

Last October I was on the phone with Art when there was a knock on the door. It was my in-laws. The first thing FIL said was, "Dad's dead." I quickly told Art what had happened and got off the phone.

FIL said Grandpa in country (that's what Husband called his paternal Grands) had been "supervising" the harvest on his land all day. At 85, He didn't farm anymore, but still had around 80 acres (I think). Another family farmed it, but Grandpa went out to watch frequently. The last of the crops had just been harvested from his land that afternoon meaning it wouldn't be long before they got their check from it. Grandpa had gone to the mail box, and puttered around some more. Just before dark he realized he couldn't find his cane (two hip replacements) so he headed to the mail box to see if it was there. When he didn't come back his son J.C. went looking for him. Grandpa had made it halfway back up the lane when he had a heart attack.

I called Husband at work and told him what happened. He was shocked. Grandpa had never slowed down. Grandma on the other hand has been in pretty bad shape the last few years. I guess we all expected to loose her first. Grandpa's death left Husband with one living grandparent.

At Grandpa's grave side service they began playing Taps (Grandpa served in WW II) & Bucka shifted into my line of site (Bucka and Busha are my maternal Grands). That's when it occurred to me just how fortunate I am. I have 4 living grandparents. Both sets have been married more than 50 years (one set has been married 58 years and the other around 55 years). It has been fairly recent that their health has begun to deteriorate.

Busha has rheumatoid arthritis and horrible allergies. Between the two they can lay her up for weeks at a time. When I was very pregnant with Baby Girl she was hospitalized with severe chest pains. The doctors feared the worst, as did we. Turned out, she has acid reflux. Bucka fell the last time they were in Florida and broke a vertebra. While he was being treated they discovered osteoporosis. He also has high blood pressure and had developed diabetes in the past 10 years. He tries to stay active, but has a hard time (especially in the winter). He suffers from depression (which runs in my family) and that can make matters worse.

When #1 Son was a baby Grandma M&M had to have a pacemaker put in. She had complications and eventually had 2 strokes while still in the hospital. She spent more than a month in the hospital (including Thanksgiving) and then a few weeks in rehab. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with. Uncle Gick took me up to see her shortly after one of the strokes. She was in pretty bad shape. I don't think she remembered me being there, I know she didn't remember #1 Son being there. We weren't sure we would get to keep her. Grandpa was lost. I'd never seen him like that. They were high school sweethearts and have always been very much in love. They are like 2 sides of the same coin. None of us could imagine how Grandpa would cope without her.

After much hard work and even more prayer, Grandma came home. She still has problems with her words sometimes, but she's doing very well otherwise. She can still sew (she's made all 4 of her Great-Grands matching outfits since her stroke, and is helping with Inkling's wedding dress), she can still cook (oh boy, can my Grandma cook!) and she's still my Grandma. I know she gets frustrated when she can't say what she wants to, but we all seem to understand her.

The next year Grandpa M&M had a small stoke. His mainly affected his vision and slurred his speech a little. He's recovered and Grandma's the only one who can tell when his face droops a little. Yesterday Art called me and asked what was going on with my Grandfather. I had no clue what she was talking about. "I just talked to Bubba, and he said they put your Grandpa in the hospital." I called home and Bubba told me Grandpa had some spells and was in the hospital. When Daddy got all the info he called and told me Grandpa had blacked out a few times and when the doctor heard about it, he sent him in for tests. They kept him overnight to run more, but as of yet, we don't know much.

At 5:30 this morning my phone "chirped." I say that because it didn't quite ring. It began to ring and quit. It was just enough to jerk me out of sleep and send my imagination into overdrive. No one calls at 5:30 unless something bad has happened. "What if Daddy was calling to tell me Grandpa died, but decided not to wake me?" was my first thought. It is now 8 am and no one has called, so I'm sure everything is fine. It's strange how our minds work. I know Grandpa is just having tests. As far as we know, nothing serious has happened. But since Grandma's stroke I guess I keep waiting for the call. The one that tells me I've lost one of the most important people in my life.

My Grandparents are all people of great faith. They are the reasons my parents came to know Christ and therefore are the reasons I know Him. They have always loved and supported me. They have spoiled and disciplined me. They have taught me to fish, to cook, to sew, to be a mother (even if they didn't realize it). They have helped make me into the woman I am today. I dread the day I loose one of them, but I also know that when they leave here, they're going on to be with God. I know that someday I'll see them again. I know that we have the Hope of Christ, and that is the sweetest gift my grandparents have ever given me.