In the quiet darkness of my dining room, I sit here at my screen, contemplating what words to type. The last 6 days have been a whirl wind, and yet, they seem to have dragged on forever at the same time. In the hustle and bustle that comes with preparing to say good-bye to someone I loved, those quiet moments that invite emotion to surface were few. Like many of my family members, much of this time was spent in “auto pilot”. Yesterday, as we celebrated her life with nearly 400 others in the United Methodist Church in Broken Bow, Nebraska, I had the privilege to listen to my grandmother’s friends share stories of how wonderful this woman was. Though I already knew many of them, listening to those stories coming from the mouths of those who were there when they were written was an amazing experience.
In my 30 years, sometimes I wondered why my Grandma Mary Bell wasn’t like “normal” grandmothers. She didn’t shower me with hugs and kisses, call me “Honey” or “Sweetie Pie” like my grand parents on my mom’s side, and she didn’t offer to baby-sit us much from what I can remember. But as I grew older, I understood how valuable she and my grand-dad were in our lives. She and my grand-dad helped my parents teach us what it means to be a citizen, a patriot, a leader, and a successful member of society. She and my parents taught us the value of a dollar, the necessity of elbow grease, self-discipline and determination, and importance of community. She shared her bits of wisdom in the form of poems, verses, and quotes, and her ability to call on the most fitting pieces of memorized literature never ceased to amaze me. This was her way of loving me, and I am a better person for those life lessons I learned growing up on our ranch. I am blessed that in my 30 years of life, I have been able to spend time with almost all of my grandparents, and even a few of my great-grandparents. My children are blessed that they also have been able to know all their grandparents and many of their great-grand parents. Grandma Mary Bell has been one of my Northern Stars, and I will forever be grateful for that.
Grandma looked regal in her red suit; her trademark braid wrapped around her head. I stood next to her, once again explaining to my son Alex that Grama was in Heaven with Jesus. My dad walked up, and standing next to us, looked down at her in a quiet moment before the funeral began. I turned around and walked back to our pew, leaving Alex with his grand-dad. When I turned around, Alex was looking up at him, and tenderly, my dad kneeled down to talk to him about Great Grandma Mary Bell going to Heaven. I grabbed my camera, and knew I had to capture this moment. It was one of the most precious memories I have from this week, and I will always treasure it. As I walked back up to them, Alex looked up at me, put his finger to his lips, and said “Mommy, she is wif Jesus in Heaven now”.
Yes, she is.
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