Today was Grandma’s funeral. She was given a lovely send off and the church was almost full. I was particularly delighted with the fact that she left the church to the Hallelujah Chorus. She chose it herself.
Goodbye Grandma. May you rest in peace now. Hope your appointment with Jesus was worth waiting for xxxx
A couple of weeks ago my Grandma Mary went into hospital as she had been getting more poorly and had very swollen ankles.
She had an amazing stay at The Princess Elizabeth Hospital and was nursed by some truly compassionate and dedicated nursing staff. Their kindness was noted by the many family members who visited Grandma.
At lunchtime today Grandma slipped peacefully away. Yesterday she had told me and my sister that she ‘had an appointment with Jesus that [she] needed to keep very soon’. We are grateful that she was reasonably fit and well almost to the end.
Goodnight Grandma. We love you and will miss you. Rest peacefully in the arms of Jesus.
Ps) This photo was taken in November 2015, not so very long ago really. She looked remarkably well I think!
Mum was looking after The Little Mister today so she took a walk up to visit my Grandma. Gran lives alone so does get lonely but I hope the visit cheered her up.
She lives in over 50’s accommodation which has the most beautiful views over Guernsey harbour. On a sunny day it is possible to see the other islands across the water. Beautiful.
Today my Grandma Mary was 87 years old so The Little Mister and I popped up to wish her Happy Birthday.
She was so pleased to see him and she had a lovely cuddle with him – he was even super smiley and charming. What a boy!
Grandma Beryl has been busy again.
This is the latest cardigan she has sent through for The Little Mister and he looks really smart in it.
I love the colours of this cardigan, but once again he is growing so fast I am not sure how long it is going to fit him for!!!
Last night my mother-in-law arrived to see her grandson for the first time. She is not keen on flying so getting here is always a bit of an ordeal for her.
As usual Grandma came bearing gifts, but this time they were mainly for the Little Mister. It would seem that all her friends gave her lovely clothes to bring and she had been busy knitting more cardigans. The Little Mister’s knitwear wardrobe is on the way to being more substantial than mine!
Having arrived back safely on the mainland today from my unexpected expected trip back to Guernsey, once again I am forced to reflect on what an amazing family I have and how fortunate I am. So often I take them for granted, particularly as I see more of my Mum’s side of the family than Dad’s.
For the first time in ages I have realised what a privilege it is to have both sides of the fmaily who are so diverse and interesting, as well as supportive and loving. Partly this was due to the fact that we were all together to celebrate the life of my lovely Grandpa, but what was also overwhelming was the delight from everyone about our engagement an the excitement from them about our forthcoming wedding. This is one of the reasons that I want to get married in Guernsey. My friends are incredibly important to me but it is my family who have helped to shape me into the person I am today. My friends have really done some of the icing on the cake, but it is my family who baked the cake in the first place (admittedly it is probably a fruit cake!). They have provided a strong, loving and challenging foundation for me and they have continued to love me despite my faults and when I have let them down.
Uncle John gave a lovely tribute at Grandpa’s funeral, and Dad gave me a transcript of what he said. This little bit really stuck in my mind…
“Our father had a very simple faith. The secret of his faith was also very simple He always felt he was a vulnerable human being. He knew that he could not serve God in his own strength. So every morning he had a time of quiet devotion, reading a passage from scripture, contemplating its truths and praying. We as children wish to thank our parents for their constant devotion to God and their Godly example during our formative years. They were both ordinary, humble Christians with human frailties that we human beings all share. We thank God for giving us the parents he did, in the same way as they themselves thanks God for us children. We thanks Dad and Mary for praying for all of us individually by name every day for so many decades. Only eternity will reveal the effectiveness of those prayers. Our parents’ constant prayer, and that of Mary too, was that we children and all our offspring would follow Christ so that when we leave this earth we shall be together in heaven and that family circle will not be broken.”
When I consider this as my family heritage I realise more than ever just how privileged I am. I also think of my lovely Gran Nora and include her in this tribute along with my Grandpa who died when I was 9 years old. I have been lucky enough to have had grandparents and parents who have continually prayed for me. What an amazing background to have.