Sigh of relief

She means an extra-something special to me because I don't have my mom anymore. Gramma means more to me than I could even begin to try to express with words. Her life, our relationship, who she is and the things that we share together - all of it is an extraordinary gift from God.

Her laugh, her strong faith in God, her ability to extend grace and forgiveness to others, her spaghetti, her playfulness....just a few things that I dearly love about her.

My word for her is JOLLY. She exudes all that is JOLLY. Jolly goes beyond happy or joyous. It's purposeful and contagious and comes from the deepest parts of her heart. Doesn't this look like a picture of a JOLLY woman?
She came out of surgery just fine this morning. I've breathed a sigh of relief as the "scariest" part is over. The doctors have said that with two new stints in her heart, she is going to feel like a new woman and have the kind of energy she hasn't had in a very long time. It makes me smile to think of how improved her quality of life will be at this stage of life.

As I prayed about all of this, a lot of me felt selfish with my requests to God. I caught myself even telling Him not to take her from me anytime soon. I guess when any person over the age of 75 goes in for surgery, there is always that fear that they won't make it out. If all of our days are numbered and He knows the very second that we will take our last breath, I pleaded with Him that she would still have many, many more breaths to breathe in before it was her last.

We're not done making memories or molasses cookies at Christmas yet. I'm not done getting to know her and her story and more things about my mom - oh do I soak in those stories. Perhaps the thought of losing her suddenly like I did with my mom, was what scared me more than anything.

However God chose to answer my demands about keeping my Gramma around, I am grateful that she made it through the surgery. I am grateful that she will feel much better after she's recovered. I am grateful that there are still memories to be made and life to be lived.

I am grateful that she's my Gramma and that God has gifted my life with her own.