Grandma

I’m gonna wrap my arms around my daddy’s neck
And tell him that I’ve missed him.
And tell him all about the man that I became
And hope that it pleased him.

There’s so much I want to say.
There’s so much I want you to know.

When I finally make it home.
When I finally make it home.

Then I’ll gaze upon the throne of the King,
Frozen in my steps.
And all the questions that I swore I would ask,
Words just won’t come yet.

So amazed at what I’ve seen,
So much more than this old mind can hold.

When I finally make it home.
When I finally make it home.

And the sweetest sound my ears have yet to hear,
Voices of the angels.

When I finally make it home.
When I finally make it home.

- "Finally Home", by MercyMe


My great-grandmother, Grandma Hester, was born February 22, 1916. She would've been 93 years old today. She died last Monday at her home in Kentucky.

Never have I known someone so ready to be home.

When I think of Grandma, I think of her never-ending love for her children and grandchildren. She loved us equally and always, no matter what. I also think of a woman who was tough as nails and who had a great sense of humor.

I love the above picture of Grandma and Tekia. In 1991, when Grandma held our foster baby Abby, she remarked that Abby was the first black baby she'd ever held. Growing up in the time and place that she did, I'm sure Grandma never imagined herself ever having a black friend, much less a black great-grandchild. But she had not a judgmental bone in her body. She welcomed Jamal and Tekia into her ever-growing brood of grandkids with great love, and every year she was just as happy to see them as she was any of the rest of us.

On Thursday Grandma's body was laid to rest in our family cemetery, alongside her husband's and right behind her parents'.

Below are some pictures of Grandma from Christmas 2007.

Grandma with her firstborn, my Paw Paw, and her 3rd great-great-grandchild, Chase

Five generations . . . Grandma, Paw Paw, Mom, Jared, and Hunter, Avery, & Chase

Grandma with some of her great-grandkids (Paw Paw's grandkids, that is)
Grandma with her three great-great-grandchildren

That last picture of Grandma and her oldest three great-granddaughters was actually taken last Thanksgiving--the last time each of us saw her. It was literally taken during our last few moments with her, right before we left to come home. After taking that picture, we each hugged and kissed her goodbye and said our I-love-you's, expecting to see her next year as we always did. We told her to take care of herself and Grandma said she would, and then she told us, "Just think about me every once in a while."

We have, Grandma. And we will.