Tribute to Me-Maw

"What is this thing that men call death, this quiet passing in the night? 'Tis not the end, but genesis of better worlds and greater light."--Gordon B. Hinckley

My great-grandma, Me-Maw, passed away yesterday morning in Kentucky. It's amazing to think of all the things she lived through in her hundred or so years of life. Me-Maw didn't have an easy life. She always had to work hard and live frugally. In spite of that, I always knew her to be extremely generous with what little she did have. Me-Maw was an excellent gardener and seamstress, and she shared the fruits of her labor with her friends and family.

Me-Maw always seemed to have a zest for life, even up to the very end. Last week when we were visiting her, my mom accidently bumped her scale on the floor. It made a loud clatter, and Me-Maw said, "What was that?" I said, "Oh, my mom just bumped your scale." Me-Maw was so thin and frail a light breeze could have blown her over, and furthermore, she was mostly bedridden. You would think most people in these circumstances wouldn't be planning to use their scale ever again. But I had to laugh when Me-Maw said in her tiny voice, "Well! I hope you didn't break it!"

I will always feel indebted to the people in my life who have loved me so unconditionally without expecting (or getting) much in return, and Me-Maw was one of those people. When we hugged her goodbye last week, she said, "I'll never forget you". Now we'll think of her as our angel, free from the pain and cares of this world. I have no doubt that she is in another place that is beautiful beyond anything I can comprehend and maybe much closer to us than we realize.