On Nov 13th of 2009 my Grannie Jane ended her battle with cancer. Sadly this picture is about 6 years old but it is what I could find. That is Kadie she is holding. My Grannie Jane was my mom's step mom, she never had children of her own but she loved us all as if we were her flesh and blood. She was so special to me and my sister. We spent many summer days with her in Florida when we were spending the summers with my dad. She had her own little beauty shop for a long time and we would love to play there. All the little old ladies coming in to have their hair set. We would get free perms and hair cuts. I remember the smell of perms and the taste of Yahoos like it was yesterday. She would take us to our Aunt Libby's swimming pool and let us stop at the Pick Quick on the way home and get candy. She and my Grandpa Jim had this big Pit Bull named Duke that we just loved and he would let us practically ride him around the house. We would spend our evenings making forts in the living room with all the couch pillows and sleeping there. She let us be kids and never let us be out of control but just allowed us to play. Her and my grandpa had a stilt house in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico for many years and it was like camping over the water. You could only get there by boat and we would fish, play cards, and sleep under the stars. It is still my most favorite cherished place in my childhood memories, I still have dreams about being there. She was a constant in my childhood. Things were not terribly stable in my early childhood but I still can feel the calmness that I had when I was with Grannie Jane.
She was diagnosed with lung cancer a bit over a year ago, it was aggressive and she far outlived the initial prognosis. She was a trouper. She had not lived her life as a follower of Christ. Like many of us and many of our families, she made some tough choices in her life. My grandpa passed away about 10 years ago from throat cancer and at the very end of his battle he made his peace with God, a miracle as it is with all of us independent and prideful people. At that time, Grannie Jane told me she started to quietly pursue a personal relationship with God. I was blessed to have talked to her when I was with my other Grandpa 2 years ago and blessed again to talk to her on Halloween only 2 weeks before she died. She had peace. She was not ready to die but she was ready to surrender to the will of God and let me tell you it was the best conversation I have ever had with my Grannie Jane. In many ways, God is so merciful to let some of us know when we are going to die. Times like that make you make a decision. Times like that force you to really investigate what you believe and if you are ready. What a blessing that the Lord never ever stops pursuing us, even to our very last breaths. I am blessed to know I will see her healed and whole one day in heaven. Praise God for his mercy.
I will miss you so much Grannie Jane, thank you for loving me so well.
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