Wednesdays with Wanda

(This is a weekly post that I will be doing to honor my wonderful mother, Wanda, who passed away on September 22, 2009. It is a place for me to share precious memories of her…for myself, for you, and most importantly, for my children.)

*************************************************

I was thinking about what to write about Mom this week, and my mind has been flooded with many precious memories.

And to be honest…it hurts.

It hurts that all I have now is memories.

I want my mom.

She has been gone four weeks now, and I still reach for the phone everyday to call her.

I would call her every morning while taking the kids to school, just to discuss the day’s plans.

I would usually call her again that afternoon when picking the kids up from school, usually to talk about my blog.

I miss her.

She had the most beautiful voice. And she was always glad to hear mine.

It just doesn’t seem real.

I thought she would be here longer. And so did she.

A few weeks before she passed away, she told me that all she wanted to be was “a chubby, gray-haired grandma.”

She LOVED being a grandmother.

And I want my kids to always know that.

She adored every one of her grandchildren!

When Mom found out she had cancer, she handled it with grace and beauty. She had a peace in the Lord that was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. We never saw her cry or break down about her illness. Which was not like my mom. She usually would cry at the drop of a hat….at commercials, at sentimental stories, at the mention of her own mother who passed away seven years ago. Mom had a huge tender heart.

You may think she cried when we were not there. But here’s the thing, we were always there. From the time she found out she had cancer, someone was always with her. We even slept in the floor by her at night.

I never heard her cry.

But I did see her fight back tears….

every time her grandchildren came to visit.

She realized she may never see them grow up. She desperately wanted to be a part of their lives. To love them, to guide them, to spoil them.

She was always looking for ways to spoil them.

She bought a Mickey Mouse pancake maker to make pancakes for breakfast when they would spend the night. My boys loved those Mickey Mouse pancakes!

She had a “grandkid” room full of puzzles, games, and bunk beds ready and waiting for their visits.

She loved to make homemade play dough with them, or delicious homemade cookies. And she would always let them help make them, never caring about the mess they made.

She would send them cards on special occasions, and cards for no special reason at all, but just to say she loved them.

She loved going to their basketball and baseball games, piano recitals, dance recitals, school events, church performances, and whatever else they were involved in.

Mom LOVED being a grandma.

She didn’t feel her job as “Mom” was over when her kids got big. She felt her job as “Mom” became even GREATER when she became a grandmother.

I have her computer at my house now, and it is full of files containing inspirational words and stories.

She had a file titled “grandparents”.

I clicked on it to find a file full of little quotes about being a grandparent.

I wanted to share some of them with you.

**************************

“What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure!”

“Few things are more delightful than grandchildren fighting over your lap.”

“What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies.”

“A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do.”

“A grandmother is a babysitter who watches the kids instead of the television.”

“Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever.”

“Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple. Grandmas are short on criticism and long on love.”

A garden of Love grows in a Grandmother's heart.

“If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first.” ~Lois Wyse

“The history of our grandparents is remembered not with rose petals but in the laughter and tears of their children and their children's children. It is into us that the lives of grandparents have gone. It is in us that their history becomes a future.” ~Charles and Ann Morse

**************************************************

Mom will definitely be forever in our laughter and our tears. She has left a legacy of love for many generations.

Today, I pray a special blessing on all grandmothers.

And I thank God for the gift of my wonderful mother.

Blessings to each of you,

P.S. I made a beautiful new friend in blogland…Aime at Small House…Large Love.

She had read about my mom’s passing and was inspired to write a post about her mom. She has written a beautiful poem honoring her Godly mother that brought me to tears.

Go check it out, and receive a blessing!