A Special Life

My Mema passed away last Tuesday. It has taken me the week to really think about and process what an amazing woman she was.

She was raised by her grandfather and three aunts after her parents both died in the flu epidemic in 1919. She was less than a year old. She earned a degree in education and was teaching in Bryan, Texas when she met my grandfather. She loved my grandfather dearly, but he died suddenly when my dad was only three. In a time when it was pretty unusual, she was a single mother to two very young boys.

I imagine that Mema's life was marked by great love and great loss. During her funeral, the preacher read Proverbs 31. I had never thought about it before, but it was a fitting tribute to the life my grandmother led. She was truly to be admired.

Mema suffered a stroke when I was a sophomore in college. She has lived the last 11 years in an assisted living facility. She was still very mentally aware, but was unable to speak well or use her hands. She lived with great frustration daily. I am so thankful that she is now happy and whole and reunited with Tommy in Heaven.

I will miss you Mema, but you have taught me so much. I love you!