Friday, we lost my Nana. You may remember
this post from almost 2 years ago. We thought we were losing her then, but what a fighter she was. Truth be told, she was waiting for Friday for a long, long time. We lost my Papa almost 28 years ago, whom she missed terribly. Then, when my dad died almost 17 years ago, her heart just never recovered. We cried lots of tears on Friday, but we also celebrated for her. She was Home, and she is happy. I am all out of grandparents now, and I'm okay with that because I know they are having one heck of a reunion this week.
I am a wee bit jealous of their reunion, to see them one more time would be amazing.
I got the call Friday morning, to have my phone on. If we're being truthful, I shrugged it off and said, "Psssh, it's Nana...she'll be fine". However, when I got the call that she really wasn't going to be okay...I got my classes covered and got on the road to try and see her one last time. We didn't make it. She was gone before we were out of Cypress. It's really a blessing though. The last visit we had with her, over Christmas was one for the books. She was fully coherent (the whole time we were there, which usually isn't the case), her eyes LIT up when she saw Trey and Emery, and she remembered things that she hadn't been remembering. Thank you God, I needed that last memory.
Nana was on top of everything, years back she had my Uncle take her to Bastrop to make her arrangements and have them done. If you're a parent, do this for your kids...oh my word, it made things so MUCH easier. She was to be buried in Bastrop, next to my Papa...and she did NOT want a funeral. She wanted a graveside gathering and that was it. Check...we can do that. We all (Uncles/Cousins/etc) ventured up to Bastrop Monday afternoon. We had dinner together, shared pictures, and had one heck of a 'visitation' in her honor. The visitation may or may not have involved a margarita blender and playing dominoes in the hotel room. Nana would have been proud.
Tuesday morning, we went on a little adventure to find some flowers. Nana was a simple woman and didn't want us to spend money on anything, including flowers for her casket. However, my mom was a little afraid that my dad would haunt her if his mom didn't have any flowers. H-E-B saved the day, and the flowers were just perfect. Simple and inexpensive.
As we gathered at the cemetery, my cousin and I thought we were all there...and then more people kept showing up. We really didn't expect it to be more than just family. Several of her friends from church made sure they were there. (Mind you, she hasn't lived in Bastrop in a LONG time.) Everyone shared stories of what Nana meant to them, and it was so touching. One thing Nana wasn't, was shy. One lady shared how Nana made sure she was going to get her roots done before she left on a vacation. My mom shared the story of how Nana backed over our Christmas lights in Prestonwood and caused them ALL to go out, within hours of our street being judged for the competition. The stories were great, and the time with old friends and family was priceless.
Trey brought so many tears to my eyes, because he got it. He got where Nana was, and that he wouldn't get to see her again...and y'all, he was upset. He just sat and stared at her casket and had such a sad face. Heartbreaking.
Nana was our glue. She held us all together. I just pray that we can continue to hold each other together in her absence. There are already plans in the making to have a 'reunion' on her birthday. I am going to try my darnedest to make that happen. I know she would want that.
I did stand up and speak at the funeral. In my mind, I didn't do her justice...but that's okay. One thing that made me smile was all of us remembering how she closed every phone conversation with, "I love you most!". We love you most, Nana.
