The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death,
Amen.
We circled around her hospital bed, holding hands, chanting this prayer as she took her last couple breaths of life. Her breaths were long and deep. We never knew when the last one would be. I looked down at her small little crooked hands and squeezed them as tight as I could. I whispered in her ear that I was here with her. I rubbed her hair and blessed her forehead like she always did to me before I left her presence. She made a cross on our foreheads, then a cross on our chins and two dots for each cheek saying "Always remember, never forget, Mimi loves you very much."
I couldn't help but think of all the many many times she blessed me. Probably ever since I entered this world. She was the proudest grandma on the face of this earth. My mother told me I would've have probably never survived my first year of childhood if it weren't for her. She helped raise me. She was there every screaming night I couldn't sleep as a baby. I remember all the childhood sleepovers at her house, only fully complete with my very own suitcase that said "going to Mimi's." Ah..the fresh toast and hot chocolate in the morning around her kitchen table. She watched me pick up a flute for the first time in 6th grade and every concert I played since then she said I was the only one that never missed a note. She watched all my accomplishments in high school telling me every moment that I was becoming a very beautiful intelligent and remarkable young woman. I remember when I was 16 and wrecked my car I was too scared to tell my dad so it was her that I called. She believed in my dreams of becoming a nurse and stayed by my side the whole 4 year struggle it took to finally get the degree. I would call her every week when I had a hard exam coming up so she could pray that day and hour for me to succeed. She cried with me on the phone when I was going through that hard, hard breakup and asked why someone whould ever treat her Megan like that. She jumped for joy when I would stop by her home and bring her an iced tea. She delighted in every single story I had to share. She deeply treasured our friendship as did I.
She always wanted to hear of my adventures, my upsets, and worries. She taught me to trust my woman's intuition. Never apologize, accidents happen. Pray and meditate with the Lord. Always put family first. Be intentional. And always....always...watch out for those damn deer.
I am so very very blessed to have my life touched by such a strong, proud, and loving devout woman. She was...and always will be... my beloved Mimi.
