The Long Road

This past weekend is hard to describe. At one point it was a sorrowful journey of remembrance of a life that had been suddenly lost, while at the same time it was a joyful experience of sharing a life that was joyfully lived. The family had come together from across the country to celebrate the life of a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and a child of God. We came to honor the life of Irene Martha Palmer. Irene was my wife's grandmother and a dear family friend.

I had first met Irene approximately ten years ago for a family get-together at Easter at her home in Sutter, California. I was immediately accepted into the family as if I had known them for years. You could feel the love in everything that they did. I quickly realized that it was one of the many gifts of love that she had instilled in her kids and grand kids. Irene's love flowed out in everything that she did and she always opened her home up to family, friends, and anyone that happened to enter her home.

When traveling through the area on the way to school in Northern California, she always prayed for our safe travels and opened her home up to us to stay the night. We could always count on grandma to be there for us and we loved to feel her warm hugs on a chilly winter night. We loved to hear the stories about her neighbors, the family, Rex, Tom and Ladybug. We will always those Hallmark-esque memories that were distinctly grandma.

When it was time for our wedding, we had asked her if she could make the trip, but at the time it was getting harder and harder for her to travel. We knew that she was there in spirit as we celebrated our wedding day and we felt her love blessing our marriage. She truly had the love of Christ in her heart.

We got the news that she had passed away last weekend and we knew that it was for the best. There would be no more aches and pains, no more medications, no more walkers, only freedom in heaven. I cry not for the woman that was lost, but for the journey that was won. She has left a legacy of strong, independent, Christian women in her wake. My wife is a testament to her strength and perservence.