I can’t imagine any gift greater than the love of a mother, but the love from a Grandmother is closely rivaled! Today marks five years since my cherished Grandma Pat passed away, so I wanted to bring back a post that I wrote about her a couple of years ago. If you are fortunate enough to be close to your Grandma, or even if you’ve been estranged, I urge you to take just a moment to think of a way to reach out to her, and tell her that you love her. I would give the world to be able to say that one more time to mine.

This day is for you Grandma!

My Dearest Grandma,

My Rock, my friend, my confidante, my soft place to land~

I miss you so much- there is a hole in my heart and in my life that all of the love in the world could never fill. I miss our cherished talks, you holding my hand and listening to me. I miss your guidance, your voice, your soft spoken, gentle words. I feel so broken without your arms to hug me, your words to guide me, your prayers to heal me. My soul aches knowing that you never met my Son, or that you can’t see the beautiful little lady that my daughter is becoming before my eyes. I am so thankful to have named her after you- such a strong, devoted, dedicated, spiritual woman.

Every day, I hold my babies a little tighter, read to them an extra story, sing to them one more song- just as you did to me. I show them unconditional love, teach them good manners, build traditions- all of the beautiful, wonderful things that you taught me to do.

I miss sitting on the porch swing with you, sharing my life, my fears, my heart with you. I miss hearing your words that helped to guide and shape my life. I miss knowing that no matter how heavy the earth became on my shoulders, that I could sit near you, lay my head on your shoulder, and hold your strong hand, and somehow know that all would be right, after all. You would make me know that all is as according to plan, and that no matter the reason- no matter how unraveled or disheveled I had become, that I would emerge stronger because of it. I believed you then, and I overcame mountains that I never thought I could conquer because of your lended strength, devoted love and wise words.

I miss you so tremendously in my life, more now than ever. I need to hear you say that I am a strong woman, a wonderful Mother, and promise me that I can get through anything. I need to hear you say once again that I will never carry more than I can handle, and that my soul can bare any burden or my body can withstand being broken, as long as my spirit and my passion remain. I believed those words when they came from your mouth, but now that you can’t speak them to me, they are harder to understand, to grasp, to hold onto. You were my light when all of my world was darkness, when the waters became so torrid I thought I would drown, you held tightly to me.

You are so loved, forever cherished, missed deeply. I pray that when I have left this earth, hopefully when I’m very old, that I will have touched even one person’s life, the way you have touched so many. I hope that I can carry your legacy of strength, leadership, undying, devoted love and wisdom. I treasure you, and I hear your words in my mind, echoing through my soul. I love you, and I am so blessed to have had you in my life. I would move mountains, cross rivers, walk through fire to be able to hold your hand, feel your love, and hear your words again. What a fortunate woman I am to have had someone like you in my life, to guide me and shape me into the Mother that I have become, and the strong, confident woman I am striving to be.

I love you forever….
Kristin Noel