As my last post said, i moved to seagraves to care for my Granny. Everyone has always said we are twin souls. Oh how true is that! When we arrived, Mom thought it would be a quick trip for her and Kohni. She had to take care of putting Papa in the nursing home. Where were His daughters?? Nowhere, of course! It was such an ordeal! You wouldn't believe all the papers that had to be filled out and signed. Mom, Kohni and I filled them all out for Granny, but she had to sign them. It took us 3 days to fill them out. Seriously! Of course we'd only work on them an hour or so at a time, but still. It took Mom and Kohni 2 hours to get through the signing with Granny. I think they counted 25 places Granny had to sign or initial. Mostly sign. Anyway, We got him settled in at the nursing home in Seminole (18 miles from Seagraves). Granny wasn't able to go see him at the hospital or the nursing home, because she was sick. She'd had a horrible cough for a week or so. They didn't want her up there, because of possibly being contagious. It was a combination of allergies and asthma. Anyway, Mom and Kohni went home on a Sunday I believe. The following week I spent a lot of time with Granny by myself. I wasn't feeling to hot (that time of the month), and my back started hurting, so I stayed in my room the bettter part of 2 days. That's my one regret. I was determined to put some weight back on her, and feed her healthy, nutritious meals. She'd been dropping hints that she wanted bread pudding all week. On the afternoon of the 5th, I backed a bunch of peanut butter cookies for Papa, made bread pudding for Granny, steamed veggies, baked sweet potatos, and grilled. I took Granny a cookie, but she asleep. She'd complained earlier that day that she didn't sleep much the night before. She said she was tossing and turning all night, and having a conversation with me in her sleep. I wish i knew what we were conversing about though. Anyway, I let her sleep. About an hour or two later I took her a plate of food. I tried to wake her up, because she hadn't eaten all day. She wouldn't wake up. I touched her leg, gently. It was cold and hard. That wasn't unusual, however. I knew though. She was gone. I tried to wake her up over and over. Calling her name, shaking her arm, checked her pulse. Nothing. Then a strange thing happened. I put my hand on her chest. Just below her breasts, not on her stomach. I said, "Granny!" and at that moment I got a sudden surge of electricity shoot from the palm of my hand all over my body. I started shaking. I'm sure part of it was shock, but not all of it. I can't explain it. Anyway, I went to the kitchen to call 911, but my fingers had a mind of their own. I called my Uncle instead. He wasn't there, but Aunt Judy was. She said David was gone, and before she could tell me where he went, I said, "I can't wake Granny up." When we hung up, I called 911, and gave them the address, which I had to go outside and look at the side of the house and the street signs to remember. LOL They've lived in this house my whole life, but use a PO Box, so I've never had an occasion to know the physical addy! Judy said they called 911 as well, but had to look up the addy in the phone book. lol I went back to Granny's room and just stared at her. I knew she was gone. The doorbell rang, and it was the sherriff who had befriended Granny and Papa a couple of years ago. He came in and checked her pulse. He was getting choked up when he said he couldn't feel anything. I just stood there. That electricity was still moving throughout my body, and the shock was setting in. Judy arrived when the EMT's did. They went to Granny's room and tried to revive her. David had come in by then and went straight back. He came in the dining room where Judy and myself had been waiting, out of the way. He said she was gone. Which, as I said, I already knew. He called my Mom, instead of letting me do it, which was the plan. We had a plan. I was to call Mom's friend, and he would tell her. David then left and got Dennis, my other uncle who had come down for my Pa's funeral. Mom, David, and Dennis lost their Mom and Dad 1 day shy of a month apart. What they are feeling right now, I have an idea of, but then again, I don't. My Granny meant everything to me. As long as she was there (here), everything was alright. She was my rock. I was her rock. No one ever understood either of us, really. Except each other. We were best friends. I feel like half of me is missing, but she would crawl out of that coffin and strangle me if I didn't stand up straight and push ahead. So, that's what I'm doing. There has been someone here with me since that night. My cousin Erin stayed with me the night she died. She wasn't my sister, who I really wanted to be here (and tried her damndest to get here asap), but Erin was a very very close second. She helped me find Granny's emerald green dress, her wig (that she'd been washing and fixing for 20 just for this occasion - she's been sick a very long time), make arrangements, clean, and just talked to me and made me laugh. That was the most important thing...making me laugh. I bought her a necklace as gratitude, but to me it wasn't enough. So, it seems that every other week something has happened. Of course, Ma, my step-grandmother (to me, there is no "step") moved to Houston with her daughter yesterday. That was HARD. None of us wanted her to go, and she didn't want to go, but Betty Grace is her daughter and needs to take care of her. It feels like I'm loosing my grandparents left and right. I still have my Dad's side. I'm so glad...no, thankful....that Ma Janie and I (my Dad's Mom) made ammends. Granny told me 2 years ago that I had to do it, because "You will need her when i'm gone." Boy, is that an understatement.
I dreamed of Granny's dad. He said, "Here girl! You're an Easly, straighten that back up!"
I'm standing straight and tall (as tall as a shorty can lol), and I'm looking ahead.
I miss her though.