Saturday, March 9, 2019
My grandma of 84 years went home last week to be with her Creator, the God who gives and takes away. He's the one who resurrected his son, Jesus, so that we too may be resurrected to be with him and be reunited to Bobo. My incredible grandmother joyously joined the chorus of praise and was united with our Father as a child who has been found and returned home in the loving arms of where she was always meant to be.
Bobo's strength, wisdom, and unending love for her family was contagious. She never stopped fighting the good fight. She was gentle hearted, full of spirit, and stubborn at her best. She was always curious about what was happening in my life and constantly made it less about herself and more about the people around her. She was a giver and often sacrificed her desires and wants for her family.
Years of being able to walk down the street just 3 houses down our block brought more memories to my life than I can even fathom now as an adult. The special times I had spending the night with her when Poppy was away, coloring in bed, and me falling asleep to her scratching my back with her wonderfully polished and well kept long nails. The moments when she played with my hair while sitting in her floral chair; the times she would make me breakfast and we would drink our orange juice together with Poppy while they would sit in their rocking chairs and us kids would swing on the bench on their beautiful porch . The time I would eagerly await every Christmas when she would gift me with a new American girl doll and we would play together with Karley and I's doll collection as she allowed us to flush her toilet as we brought our long line of baby dolls to the 'potty.' The Sundays when Poppy would teach us kids how to play black jack and Bobo would make us snacks for the table and prepare for our spaghetti family dinners. The way she loved her animals, fake or real it didn't matter. She set up a special girls room for us in her house where all the stuffed animals would sit on the bed and wait for us to play with them. Bobo came to EVERY dance performance, never missed one and always supported my dancing career. She always expressed how proud she was of me and made me feel like all my hard hours of starting a business was really worth it. In her words, she thought what I was doing with my dance organization was 'just wonderful' . She inspired me to keep going when things got busy and hard.
Even as an adult she never stopped loving me and pursuing our relationship. We would talk for hours about life, color together, eat our favorite crackers and cheese, and drink our red wine until we ran out. Weeks before she passed I had such special moments with her as I did her makeup, snuggled like old times, and helped rearrange her house. All those memories and more will never be forgotten.
She's a woman that inspired me, loved me when I couldn't love myself, and taught me about life, marriage, and love. Bobo, until we see each other again, you will always live in my heart as the grandmother I always dreamed I would have. I wear your necklace, bracelet, and ring everyday and it never comes off as it's a daily reminder that you will never fully leave are still here with me in spirit. I haven't gone one day without thinking about you. I love you and am so grateful for the many ways you touched my life and everyone you came in contact with.
