4-05pm
It’s been a month since Granny’s older sister, Aunty Helen died. She would have turned 90 in a couple of months. When we were told, we immediately decided we would not tell Granny. I was concerned about her reaction. I didn’t want her crawling into the foetal position and giving up on life. I felt she may do this because she was so close to her older sister. Together they went through childhood, schooling, helping with household chores, falling in love, marrying, raising children. Family holidays, weddings, tragedies, all shared. Always so very close. They had not seen each other for about 8 years. Since Helen died I have debated with myself and others about whether we should tell Granny or not. David vehemently said we shouldn’t. I finally had a conversation with my friend Christine who gave me a straight forward answer. She said, “Helga, you must tell her. She has a right to know.” So after discussing it again with Mike, we resolved today would be the day we would tell Granny about the passing of her beloved sister. I knew it was going to be tough. But as usual, Granny surprised us. When you are nearly 88, your perspective is very different.
Mike sat on one side of her bed and I sat on the other. Mike introduced the subject by saying we had some sad news. Then he told her, “Aunty Helen has passed away.” He had to repeat it a couple of times before she got it. “Oh,” she said. Then she said, “She’s happy then. She’s happy then. That’s better for her.” She spoke a bit more in terms we didn’t quite understand, but I think she was trying to say ‘she’s in a better place’ and ‘she’s no longer suffering.’ She shed a tear and I made her tea. And after that she was fine. I guess it will take a bit of time for her to process it, but I’m glad that we’ve told her.
That was the main event of the day. For the rest of it, it has been nothing less than magnificently restful. Mike & I once watched a movie called “Happy. Thank-you. More Please.” It doesn’t seem to have made it big. Most of the actors I hadn’t seen before and neither have I seen them since. But there was one line in it (apart from the title) that stuck and Mike has repeated it several times since, “Please let me love you. I am totally up to the task!” Today that love came with a day of decadence. As soon as I had sorted Granny, I went back to bed taking coffee for Mike & I and for the most of it, that was where my work ended. He bought me the newspaper and tea, cleaned the kitchen and made lunch!
Adrian & Stacey came and had lunch with us and I’ve spent most of the day in bed…
I watched the cricket – SA lost to Zimbabwe, but at least they got CCFm’s radio frequency right…
🙂 I did show prep. I read more of the story of Selwyn Hughes. I’m loving it. I prepared forms for renewing my passport. I surfed. I watched a bit of Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer. One of the things I love that Joyce Meyer says is for every negative thought you think, force yourself to think two positive thoughts. It’s just such a great exercise to train your mind to think right!
2 Corinthians 2:5 says: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Grab those thoughts and make them obedient to Christ. It will change your life!
I’m feeling thoroughly rested and happy and ready to face the week!
God bless you loads!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂