Nonnie

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your sweet texts, precious emails and messages, and much needed prayers over the past two weeks. I also apologize for my lack of blogging (if anyone has even missed it!), but we have just had a whirlwind of emotion and activity over the past couple of weeks.

As our family prepared for two weeks of nonstop activity, flurry, and fun (in true Smith fashion)...our world came to a screeching halt on Friday, June 3rd, when our Nonnie went to be with Jesus. Although she was in the later stages of Alzheimer's, we were in no way prepared for this. She had even had a great morning, breakfast, and lunch when she was taken from this world where she has been trapped in her earthly body and entered His presence!

Russ and I were on our way home from Oxford when we got the news. It was a long ride home. Tears streamed down my face as I drove my car and Russ was ahead in his. They were tears of joy for her freedom and tears of sorrow for me and my family. We will miss her. I wasn't ready to let her go. No one was. Then, I think of the amazing place He has prepared for her (and us). What joy she must feel! I pictured her walking around in the ocean waves, running around with her mom and dad, talking and laughing with Aunt Num Num, and simply smiling her smile...eyes focused on anything she wanted. No blank stares and no more laying in a reclining nursing home chair. Nope! She hated sitting still. Always busy and in motion. And, I can only imagine her dancing as she entered His Kingdom. I'm not sure what she will clean there, because I'm sure it is cleaner than we could ever imagine! But, maybe Jesus left a spot for her to scrub on. Ha! I'm so happy for her.

Then I thought of those of us left...

Memories filled my mind in between the visions of her in Heaven. Memories of mud baths at the coast, sponge rollers in our hair as we rode the wheel barrow, all the animals she would find in our ears during bath time, all the hours she spent scratching my back, trips to the mountains, trips to the beach, the "Worm Song", her "Hmmmm" when she found something interesting or funny, the hairbows we had made out of anything recycled (2 Liter coke wrappers, balloons, bottle tops), her big purse, the smell of cedar in thier house, jelly shoes, watching Little Women everytime I visited....

Then, I thought about Pops. If you haven't read my post about them, catch up here. Truly a Notebook story. I couldn't stand the thought of him finding out. This is where we saw the hand of God even more than we had before. You see, Nonnie and Pops have lived apart for the last two years because of Nonnie's advanced Alzheimer's. Pops was able to stay in his assisted living, but Nonnie had to be placed in a nursing facility. The week before, Pops' health urged us to move him into a nursing facility as well. We found a nursing home that could take them both in the same room. They lived in the same room the last week of her life. The nurses said that every single morning, Pops would get out of his bed, get dressed, and sit at Nonnie's bedside holding her hand and rubbing her arm. Every single day. All day. I don't know about you...but we couldn't have planned that. It was all Him. We are so incredibly thankful for the time they had together. It was almost as if she had been waiting on him to be there. So she could exhale, say goodbye, and meet her Creator. I'm sure she's standing there watching just waiting on the day when she and Pops can be together to see the Great Smoky Mountains from above!

Yes, we are sad. Still hard to believe some days. Still an unspoken quiet around our homes. But, oh how wonderful it must be to see what she's seeing! What a legacy she has left us! What fun memories she left for us laugh about over and over again now that she's gone! Maybe, just maybe, one day I can leave that kind of legacy for my children and grandchildren...filled with memories (crazy, fun, and awesome!) of a life well-lived.

We miss her so! But, we look forward to seeing her again! Because our life here on earth is but a vapor.

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:14

What will I do with the time I have left? What will my legacy be?

How about you?