Heaven in the eyes of a child....

On July 10th of this year, my sweet grandmother, Mama Cille, passed away. I can't believe it has already been 2 months. When I think about her, tears come to my eyes because I realize she is gone---I will never see her again. She won't be here for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year and it will be so hard for my family.

I have so many sweet memories of Mama Cille. She used to tell us grandkids to "play pretty" when we weren't getting along while playing football in her yard. It used to make us all laugh at how she said it. She was a really great cook. Some of the family favorites were her cherry pies, her breakfasts, and her fried chicken. She loved to keep up with politics and would watch shows on tv all the time. She'd be right in the thick of it right now if she were here. She was a wonderful friend. She would keep in touch with old out-of-town family members by cards and phone calls. She would call her friends on the phone and check on them often. She kept a journal for years where she wrote some really beautiful, thoughtful things. She was always so faithful. She went to church and she read her Bible. She was such a godly woman.

I guess one of the things that impressed me most about her was how much her kids loved her and respected her. I have watched my mom and her sisters and brother's relationship with Mama Cille for many years. They were SO close. She left them (and all our family) quite the legacy.

Holding Hannah for the first time 10/10/04

5/21/05

With her great-grandkids--Thanksgiving 2005

With her kids

With my family (at the time)

Thanksgiving 2005

Holding Lincoln for the first time 1/21/07

8/4/07

My two grandmothers 11/22/07

4/26/08

At the funeral home during visitation 7/11/08

When Mama Cille died we had to explain it to Hannah. What do you say to a 3 1/2 year old about death??? Well, we just told her that Mama Cille went to heaven to be with God. When Hannah saw her body at the funeral home, I could tell she was a little unsure of what was going on. She knew it was a sad time because everyone in my family was crying. Every now and then Hannah brings up Mama Cille. She'll pray for her or ask about her.

Last night while Kris was putting Hannah to bed she asked, "Why did Mama Cille go to heaven?" This is how the rest of the conversation went:


Kris--God wanted her to come live with Him.
Hannah--Are we going to go?
Kris--Yeah, it'll be a long time though.
Hannah-- Is Momma going?
Kris-- Well, yeah.
Hannah-- Is she going to take her bag?
Kris--Well, maybe.
Hannah-- Are we going to take the van?
Kris-- Well, probably not.
Hannah-- Is God going to come get us?
Kris-- Yeah.
Hannah-- Is he just going to grab us up?
Kris-- Yeah, I think so.
Hannah-- Does Mama Cille have a house?
Kris-- Oh yeah, I'm sure she does.
Hannah-- Does she have a bed?
Kris-- I'm sure.
Hannah-- Will we have a bed?
Kris-- I'm sure He's got a bed for us.


God does have a "bed" for us waiting in heaven. I won't get to take my bag or anything else with me when I go. God may just "grab us up" one day. We won't know when. We just have to be ready. I hope as Kris and I raise Hannah and Lincoln that they will learn how to be ready for heaven. I hope Hannah keeps imagining her bed up there. Maybe she'll be next to Mama Cille.