Friday. 11.45 AM.
The nurses came to see us and told us how the process will work. When they left all (16) of us gathered to pray and it seemed to suddenly hit us. Frail voices, a couple tears and then outright sobbing. It's amazing the impact this woman has had on our lives. She has brought so many of us together so quickly and has loved and led us with such strength. We acknowledged these things and prayed for a swift and painless death. Now we're stuck in our waiting rooms because a red alert went off. Timing, huh?
Friday. 1.00 PM.
The alert stopped and we went to her room as the nurses were unhooking all of the machines. We gathered around her and prayed a sang Amazing Grace, In The Garden and I'll Fly Away. I kept expecting her to open her eyes, look around at all of us and tell us to stop being so sad.
After people who wanted went through individually and said goodbye, all her kids gathered around and told us she could go on to her husband and daughter and babies. The nurses stepped in, checked her heart and announced her death at 12.23.
Mostly it hasn't hit me, but seeing my family together some laughing, some crying made me feel such compassion for the people I have with me. Grandma brought all of us together in her life and in her death. She was a marvelous, strong, loving, generous, selfless woman. She was a lioness.
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