Memaw

My grandmother has been sick for quite some time with conjestive heart failure. And every few months fluid builds up in her lungs and around her heart and she has to be put in the hospital to have it all drained off. For the last year she's been living in an assisted living center because it got too hard for my aunt, who has lived with Memaw for the last 10 years or so, to take care of her and still work full time. Memaw really loved her little room at Parson's House. She had it decorated with pictures of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Last Monday Mom called and said that Memaw was getting worse, and they decided it was finally time to moved her to Hospice care. As hard as it was for them to come to that decision I know it was the best one. Memaw had a pace maker put in when she was 84 years old, and for the last couple years the pace maker has been doing 100% of the work for her heart, and she's been on oxygen for a good portion of each day because she just doesn't have the energy to breathe well on her own. Her quality of life just wasn't what it used to be, and that frustrated her. So Monday they moved her to the Hospice Hospital in Houston. The nurses told Mom that Memaw didn't have much longer. Each breath she took was very labored, and at one point she was only taking 6 breaths a minute.

My last visit with Memaw was just a few weeks ago. We had gone to Houston for the weekend, and Sunday after church we went out to Parson's House to visit. We took Maddie, our miniature Dachshund out there. Memaw loved dogs. They always put a smile on her face so we thought seeing Maddie would give her a little joy. We only stayed about 30 minutes. We could tell she wasn't feeling well and that she was very weak. But the visit was good. When we left we gave Memaw a hug and a kiss and told her we would see her again soon. I was shocked to see a tear rolling down her face.

Tuesday morning Mom called and said that Memaw wasn't waking up at all, not even to eat or drink. So she felt sure it was just a matter of time. Several of my family members went to see her and tell her how much they loved her. We couldn't get back into town, but I had Mom tell her we loved her. Mom said everyone finally left the hospital around 10:30 Tuesday night. At one point she said it got kind of loud as they were remembering things from their childhood. She said they laughed some, cried some, and remembered lots. Memaw slept through the whole thing, at least they thought she was asleep, but at one point my aunt looked at her and saw a tear rolling down her face. That's when it got quiet, and they each stood with her and told her it was okay for her to go. That they would see her again some day.

At 12:08AM Wednesday morning Memaw went to be with Jesus. It's a bittersweet thing. She's no longer in pain, and she's no longer suffering, but not having her here anymore makes life seem empty. The fact that she cried when J and I left a few weeks ago makes me wonder if she knew that would be the last time she would see us here on earth.

Memaw was the youngest of 4 children. She married Granddaddy, a Southern Baptist Pastor, at the age of 18, and in her early 40's lost him to a heart attack. She had 6 children with him, 4 of which are still living. She married my Pepaw in 1971, and was married to him for 11 years until he died of cancer. She has 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. What a legacy!!!

I miss my Memaw, but I know that I will see her again one day. Say hello to my babies, Memaw!!!