Friday, December 19, 2008

open mouth....speak words

yesterday i received a phone call from my mom. she informed me that my grandmother was in the emergency room due to some breathing and blood pressure issues. my grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday in september so her little body is already frail and weak. i jumped in my car and drove to mt. pleasant because i wanted to make sure i was able to tell her at least one more time how much i love her.

she is legally speaking my step-grandmother. however she has always loved my brother and i as if we were blood relatives. there has never been a difference in any of our minds. during the course of my life she has been at every birthday party, every graduation, my wedding and every monumental occasion i have experienced. this woman is a part of who i am and i wanted to be with her. i wanted to make sure she knew i was there for her....just as she has always been there for me.

in september we threw a big 90th birthday party for her. all of the family was there and it was a blessing for each of us to spend time honoring her. some of us grandkids wrote letters about her and read them during the party. we wanted to make sure she knew exactly where we stood when it came to our love and appreciation for her influence in our lives. i think it blessed her.

yesterday when i walked into her room she couldn't speak very clearly but she didn't take her eyes off of me. i stayed with her for about 6 hours and in that time i couldn't take my mind off of the party we had in september. it was so good to know that she knows how much we love her. what needed to be said....had been said.

as you move boldly into Christmas 2008 let me encourage you to do something big...say what needs to be said. write a letter, send an e-mail, pick up the phone or write in the sky but say what needs to be said. too many people live with the regret of what they "should have done." let's commit to one another that we will move forward with the assurance that all accounts are settled and everything that needs to be said....has been said.

1 comment:

Jen Smith said...

It must bring so much peace to know that what needs to be said has been said... Thank you for sharing these thoughts - what an incredible challenge. I want you to know that I'm praying for you and your family, that God's hands would be all over your grandmother and that His peace would transcend all understanding.