A Very Special Day

I am who I am today in large part due to my maternal grandparents.  I was an only child for 6 years and while both of my parents worked full-time jobs, I stayed with my grandparents.  We had so much fun!  My Paw-Paw (yes, we are southern which is why the "W" is there) would take me fishing or we would hang out in his shed full of tools and make bird feeders or "fix" things.  My grandmother and I would always eat lunch together.  PB&J mixed together then put on the bread with the crust cut off!  My grandmother would also take me shopping at least once a week...maybe that's where my obsessive need for retail therapy started and other days I'd tag along with my Paw-Paw to the flea market.  Life was good!

I spent so much time with my grandparents as a young child and was exposed to their love for Christ.  I saw them read their Bible everyday and pray and got involved in church because of them.  It took me a long time to understand the love of Christ and what the meaning of Easter really meant, but it all started with my grandparents.

Then my brother was born and he would tag along too.  He nicknamed my grandmother "Boo" because she played peek-a-pie-boo with him so often I guess he just associated her face with the word.  Funny, I know.

In 1997 my Paw-Paw was diagnosed with cancer and died in January 1998.  Seeing my grandmother go through losing her husband broke my heart.  I saw a small glimpse of true love and knew I wanted to find a man that I loved like she loved my grandfather.  But then there was the day before my Paw-Paw's death.  I was in his hospital room with him alone after school one day and he sat me down and told me he was ready to go be with Christ, but that I needed to look after my grandmother once he was gone.  He was in so much pain and on his death bed and all he could think about was the one person on earth that he loved the most.  I was and still am overwhelmed with the love I saw between those two.

About eight years later I decided to take Boo to the doctor due to some forgetful behavior.  Now, four and a half years later my grandmother is in the severe stages of Alzheimer's disease.  She has no idea who I am or that she was married, or that she now is a great grandmother.  At first I was so angry and I still hate the disease.  I don't use the work "hate" often because it is so harsh, but this disease deserves it! I have emotionally lost one of my best friends and mentors.

So, last week my mom, Emmalyn and I headed up north to Minnesota where Boo lives a block away from my Aunt Cindy in a very home-like atmosphere where she is taken care of by some great nurses.  The place does not seem like a nursing home at all and Boo gets her own room and bathroom with all of her own furniture.  The first day we got there we walked to the home and got to see Boo.  She held Emmalyn and was just in awe of her.  Emmalyn was so good the whole time Boo held her and Boo was doting on Emmalyn's little features.  It was such a sight to see such a special person in my life holding my daughter.  I had the camera out the entire time and even got some video footage.

With such a long explanation, the rest of this post is pictures from our time with Boo.  Now you can understand how much this trip meant to me.

Boo loved how Emmalyn grasped her finger.

I hope one day I can share my memories of Boo and Paw-Paw with Emmalyn and be as special to her as they are to me.

Kayla : )