ALLOWING ME {Day 11} Remembering part of who I am...

Today I am ALLOWING myself to take a break from the planned blog and remember a bit of who I am.

This is stuck in my brain…Oct 11, 1972.  In the fifth and deciding game of the NLCS at Riverfront Stadium, George Foster scores the winning run from third base in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch thrown by Bob Moose, giving the Reds a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Pirates. Earlier in the inning, Johnny Bench hit a home run off Dave Giusti to tie the score. (nationalpastime.com)

It was a Wednesday afternoon game. I grabbed my ball glove and tennis ball, ran out the back door, and cried and slammed that ball off a wall behind my house until I couldn’t throw or cry anymore.

My grandmother loved the Pirates. I can see her sitting on the front porch with iced tea, a pack of Kools and a transistor radio, complaining that Bob Prince talked too much. She passed that love on to my mom, who passed it on to me.

This is stuck in my heart…Thursday, Oct 11, 1984. I had been living with my Grandmother for several months, caring for her after a stroke and diagnosis of congestive heart failure.

The day before would have been my grandfather’s 82^nd birthday. He had been gone 31 years. We had talked briefly about him.

Thursday was one of my days off. Grandma surprised me with a grocery list. Ingredients for city chicken, mashed potatoes, apple pie – Grandpa’s yearly birthday dinner. While I was shopping, she called a few family members to invite them. Grandma made most of the dinner herself. She seemed to be in better spirits and healthier than she had for months. We had dinner and ate the whole pie. A good day and evening for all of us.

Friday, Oct 12…Grandma smiled and greeted me on my way to the shower. 

As soon as I stepped out of the shower, I heard it. When fluid was building, Grandma made a distinct noise like a hiccup. I threw on a robe and ran for the phone.

She told me not to call the ambulance.

I called my aunt who lived across the street. She called the ambulance then ran to us.

24 hours before, she was planning dinner.

12 hours before we were eating pie.

At that moment, I held Grandma’s hand as she went to be with Jesus…and Grandpa.

Tomorrow it will be 30 years since that day. I learned so much from Grandma while she was here. I still miss being able to sit with her, eat her pie, watch the Pirates with her.

Since she left this earth, she has taught me something else…people don’t go away entirely. I can’t touch her face, but I see it in my mind. I hear her voice. I feel her talking to me. Sometimes I sense her presence so strongly.

Mortal bodies have an expiration date. Souls are for eternity. I know it. I feel it. I feel the love and encouragement of people who have moved on.

It helps make me who I am.

Sometimes it is good to ALLOW myself to stop and acknowledge that.

How about you? Do you need to take a moment to remember?

We will talk again tomorrow,

Beth

I am participating in a 31 Day blog challenge. My topic is Allowing Me… You can see preceding days below this blog. You can see other bloggers here.

Beth Painter is, among many other things, a writer and motivational speaker. You can follow her on Facebook on the “Think Big focus small” page.

Beth is available to speak to your group about how to make your dreams and desires come to life!