Warning: this is a whopper!

It has been a year and I am ready.

I am posting this for me not for you.

I would like to share with you though.

I am not sure why, just thought I should.

March 2, 2009 opened some serious gates.

My sister Koren and I made this:

and it's sister

 

we also made one of these:

i hope you never make one because it goes here:

for her, do you see a theme, she loved pink.

We made a number of other beautiful arrangements in a haze of adrenaline fueled creativity.

To say the least there was love in every petal, lots of love.

We poured our grief into laying our beloved grandmother to rest.

Being the honorable person she was she had a small life insurance policy, because she did not want to be a burden.

You know what we made it work.

Yes we did.  

We pooled all of our efforts, talents and funds.

My sisters and I laid our grandmother to rest and she was at peace.

I am proud.

I was given the honor of writing and reading her eulogy.

I am posting it here:

When I think of my grandmother the word nurture comes to mind.  Nurture is defined as, the process of caring for and encouraging the growth and development of something or someone.  The word nurture is synonymous with cherish.  Cherish means to protect and care for someone lovingly.

To me these two words nurture and cherish embody Reedie Belle Walker, her heart and her soul.

I must take a moment to talk about that name, Reedie Belle Walker.  To some she was Rita, to others she was Reedie and to a few select little people she her name was “Honey”.  I called her Rita until I was about 12 years old.  Somehow I came across her CA state identification card where her name was listed as one Reedie Belle Walker.  My, oh my!  It all made so much more sense now.  I immediately feel in love with this real name of hers, and never called her Rita again.  She just seemed more like a Reedie Belle to me.  Such, a sweet precious southern name, for a precious lady.  I remember her telling me she never really liked her name and just decided to call herself Rita.  Well, I just had to say goodbye to Rita and Hello to Reedie.

When her first grandson Terrell was a baby she called him “honey”.  In turn he called her “honey”.  She became Honey to him always and forever.  There could not be a more perfect name for this woman.  Always so full of sweetness and a heart made of gold.  Thus, she became Honey to the next 4 great-grandsons as well.

As a granddaughter of this wonderful woman I have so many memories.  I can remember playing with pots and pans on the kitchen floor while she cooked when I was so tiny.  I remember the feeling of her hands gently braiding my long curly hair.  When we were school age we would spend long days at the park and Saturday evenings down in the washroom.  I can still remember the wonderful smell of warm laundry piled on the folding table.  I can still hear the gentle hum of dryer while we folded clothes and chatted for hours.  I will always miss the bowls of oatmeal made just right, fried cheeseburgers for lunch, and pot roast on Sunday nights.

One always felt loved in Honey’s presence.  I do not ever remember a scolding or harsh word coming from her lips.  For some reason just being around her made you want to do right.  She made you want to be a better person.

With her loving presence came devotion.  She was dedicated to raising her children and grandchildren.  She was a modest simple woman who asked for very little and gave so much to all of us.  She has given much more to us than she will ever know.  I truly believe her spirit lives on in all of us.

You can see Reedie’s love for children in her daughter Retta who adores children and cares for them daily as her job.  In Victoria you can see her love for cooking and preparing large meals to bring together family and friends.  I seem to have inherited her strong need to do for others as well as her love for celebrity gossip.  You can physically witness Honey in Koren.  Her body, the way she carries herself and her soft spoken manner.

As mother’s I am sure Victoria and I will see things in her great-grandsons Shane, Ryan, Jackson, and Reedie’s little namesake Lucas Reed who has eyes the color of honey and a heart of gold just like his great-grandmother.

I strongly believe Honey’s bright light lies on in her daughters son Terrel.  In Reedie’s final days here on earth I was able to witness her true spirit in him.  This young man of 26 years old sat by her bedside and held onto her hand for literally 12-15 hours from day into night.  He was there to meet any need she expressed and anticipate any need she might have.  I was very moved by his love, devotion, and compassion for his grandmother Honey whom called him Sonny.  I could truly feel his appreciation for every school lunch she packed for every shirt she ironed and pressed for him.  I could see he honored every word of encouragement and took every ounce of pride she felt for all of his academic achievements to heart.  I know in his mind there are not enough words to express the love and devotion he has for this wonderful woman in his heart and soul.  I do believe one day when he looks into his childs eyes for the first time boy or girl he will see his own little “honey” looking right back at him.  I also believe he will nurture the same gift of compassion, love, and devotion the he was blessed to receive.  Honey’s light will continue to burn bright.

Reedie spent her final days surrounded by people that mattered most to her, her daughter, her grandchildren and her close friends.  I feel that she felt our presence and unconditional love for her.  For a woman who never asked for anything in those moments had all that she had ever wanted.  It was our time to care for her after all that she had done or us. 

Each and every one of her caregivers commented on what a sweet woman Ms. Walker was.  Even her final hours she was so kind, polite and precious to everyone around her.  Several of the nurses also commented on how loving we were as a family.  They were overwhelmed and moved to tears by our devotion and compassion for our grandmother.  We were just giving back to her what she has given to us.  Reedies job well done became evident to me from the kind words of her doctor.  She also wanted to share with us how moved she was by the out pouring of love she saw in all the people surrounding Honey’s bedside 20 hours a day.  With tears in her eyes the doctor mentioned after speaking with all of us she went home and thought of us and was overcome with memories of her own childhood and family and was deeply touched by our affection for this mother and grandmother.

All of these kind words from others, strangers at that are a true testiment that Reedie did a remarkable job while here on earth.  She nurtured a family into compassionate people with kind and loving spirits.  Going through this process with her has shown me the power and importance of nurturing the human spirit and soul.  I can now truly recognize how deeply blessed I am to have been nurtured by Ms. Reedie Belle Walker. 

As we leave here this morning and finally lay Honey to rest, and as we continue to grieve and mourn, please remember that Honey’s light shines on in all of us.  Remember that she did her job her on earth and she did it well.  We have all been blessed with her love, for anyone in her presence was loved. 

My boys heard these song lyrics this week in the car and asked if the man was singing to Honey.  I will share some lyrics of the song with you now.

“She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels
By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees
And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting
And I know she's smiling saying
Don't worry 'bout me


Loved ones she left behind
Just trying to survive
And understand the why
Feeling so lost inside
Anger shot straight at God
Then asking for His love
Empty with disbelief
Just hoping that maybe


She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels
By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees
And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting
And I know she's smiling saying
Don't worry 'bout me


It's hard to say goodbye
Her picture in my mind
Will always be of times I'll cherish
And I won't cry 'cause


She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels
By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees
And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting
And I know she's smiling saying
Don't worry 'bout me
Don't worry 'bout me
Don`t worry 'bout me"

Thank you.

 

Honey's 80th birthday

and yes she was the princess for the day! 

With all of that said and done this will now be a happy place.

I needed to let some things out.

They have been stuck inside.

If you made it to the end, thanks for reading.

I hope I did not make you cry.