Tuesday, April 22, 2008

"Bakc " home

We are home again. The services for my grandmom really made the end of her life here on earth more of a celebration than I had anticipated. We had our share of mourning, but there was also laughter and so many good memories! I was reminded of how lovely and generous my grandmom was to everyone. There were gobs of stories of little gifts, words of encouragement, and acts of service that she gave to so many around her. The pastor of her church even shared how she had given him and his wife their wedding cake as a wedding present. They now have children in college, but the story still made him cry a little as he shared what it meant to them. I was very inspired and encouraged.
My favorite part of our time with family was when there was a dove release at her graveside. The man who trains the doves let the great grandchildren hold a dove. Then he released a big flock and they flew around overhead. When the children released their dove the flock overhead found the dove and they all flew away together back to the trainer's house. This sweet man used the symbolism of the dove to relate to our grandmom going to heaven to be met with loved ones and the mystery of how she gets there. It sounds a little corny, but it was the sweetest moment for the children!
My little Toot took "note" and below is what he wrote: (It says, "Back home".) Thanks for the encouraging comments and emails. I feel very blessed!

1 comment:

Mrs.Naz@BecomingMe said...

What a beautiful ceremony. It is so hard to say goodbye, but celebrations of life and knowing that your grandmom is now in Heaven make it easier I am sure, at least on some level. The release of the dove is such a beautiful symbol.