My Nana

[lilmami81]

Back in 2001, I was 19 and a college student in VA.  Aaron and I came home for Thanksgiving.  This was a strange year, becasue Thanksgiving was early.  It was November 22nd.  We had  a good time.  My grandma, who was 84 and suffering from dementia, wasn't able to took anymore so my mother and I cooked.  Everybody was home except my then 17 year old brother.  Against my mother's instructions, he took off with his girlfriend's family and went out of state. She told him it was important that he stay home becasue we didn't know how many holidays we'd have left with her. 

The food was delicious and we had a blast. My Nana was a diabetic, too, so I had to take her blood sugar.  I went in on Saturday and took it.  As I walked out the room, I heard a voice say "It won't be long now."  The voice came from the corner, where there was an empty armchair.  I turned and looked at my Nana.  She just smiled at me and said "What, Vet?"  My mother was called Vet, Short for Yvette, (which is our middle name) when she was young.  My granddaddy and his brother both named their daughters Carolyn.  This resulted in two first cousins with the same first and last name.  My Nana no longer recognnized us grandkids, but she thought I was my mother becasue we look alike.  She didn't recognize my mother in the present, only her in the past.  You know what I mean.

 I was supposed to leave Sunday to return to school.  Saturday night, my mom, my two youngest brothers, 13 month old Aaron and I all piled on my mom's bed and laughed and talked for hours until we fell asleep.  That morning we woke up.  My then 15 year old brother went to go take my Nana's sugar.  He said, "Mom, you need to come here-somethings wrong with Nana."  She said, "What is it, Steve."  He said, "I think  she's dead."  Everyone jumped up, except me.  I sat on the bed and held Aaron. 

My mother used my Nana's LifeAlert contraption to call 911.  They came and pronounced my Nana dead.  She tried to force them to attempt to resucitate her.  I told her to leave it alone.  In her more lucid moments, my Nana made me promise to let her go when the time came, not to force her to come back.  She'd lived her life.

 When Steve found her, he said that she had been knealt at the side of her bed, with her arms stretched out as if she had been praying-or praising. She didn't get out of be much those days, so this was very interesting.  

I wasn't sad for her.  I only cried at the funeral and those were selfish tears because I wouldn't get to see my Nana again.  Honestly, I was happy for her.  She was quite a character in my youth but in her later days-especially after my Grandaddy died in 1997-she had a lot of health issues.  She had to wear diapers, which was humiliating to her until the dementia set in to the point were she wasn't embarassed anymore.  She was a diabetic and couldn't enjoy the foods she had eaten for the past 9 decades.  And she missed my grandaddy so much.  She loved him and they had been married for over 50 years when he died.  It was so hard for her.  It makes me cry to think of it now. 

I love you, Nana, and I miss you. I am so glad you got to see your first great-grandchild, and so sad that you didn't get to see the other four.

I loe you and miss you,too, Gray.  I hope you are looking down on these little ones.  I wish you could have been around a little longer.

Nana 1917-2001 & Grandaddy 1922-1997

 

[ssnelson26]

Jul. 9, 2008 at 6:02 PM tHAT'S BEAUTIFUL GINA

[grandmablondie]

Jul. 10, 2008 at 1:22 AM

Thats was a beautiful story, filled with love affection and respect.  You're a wonderful person and I can tell by your writings that she's in your soul.

blondie

[shantestv]

Jul. 14, 2008 at 10:18 AM That is a beautiful story.

[Shunda1luv]

Jul. 17, 2008 at 3:21 PM That's a great story.  I'm sorry about your nanna.  I wish I was close to either of my grandmothers.  I mean, I know they love me but neither of them are very affectionate.