Zipadeedoodah

okay so the pic is dated...a 'bit' and we are missing Aaron, G'daddy and David. But I'm in a hurry and grabbed the first G'burg file I came to on the computer and clicked and selected...it's family tradition to take a group picture before we all head home from our annual trip to G'burg. Seriously we need to rethink that and get one when we aren't ready for travel.

picking up where we left off....

The highlights of the past few days are:

*Call comes in morning we are to leave for TN to be with my family that my G'father was currently in an ambulance on the way to the hospital (this was the day of the visitation for my uncle)


*A/C goes out in our car 5 min out of town...we roll the windows on and keep going (I need to my family!!)

*2 hours into the trip and MaryKyle gets overwhelmed by the 97 degree temps in the car and lack of sleep and gets to feeling HORRID!

*almost to our destination and the phone rings and my Aunt is currently in an ambulance on her way to the hospital from the visitation at the funeral home. (she was released that night FYI and able to be at her husband's funeral although she was and still is not feeling well)

*My Uncle's funeral was standing room only, plus people in the lobby, a side room a balcony filled, etc. It was an amazing show of love and kindness that truly helped my family!!

*A/C is repaired - for a small fortune (you'd think those compressors were gold plated or something) and we drive home

*My precious cousin, Ally, is in a wreck while on her way with a cake to the Alzheimer's home where my Uncle had lived the last bit of his life. She was taking it as a thank you for how wonderful they were to our sweet Bobby (seriously, I told you she was precious!! I'm blessed with AMAZING cousins. I don't know what I would do without a single one)!! Cake nor van made it by Allyson, Brown and Ellie will be fine!! Praise God!!


*the latest is my Grandfather is being placed in hospice care. He was undergoing evaluations to see what facility. If it was at the hospital it meant that they felt it was reasonably imminent. if they transferred him to a skilled nursing facility under hospice care they felt like he had a bit longer.

......He's staying at the hospital.

While in N'ville I said my good-byes to my sweet wonderful amazing, special GrandDaddy!! I told him I would see him in heaven...when I did, he patted my hand and weakly smiled and said "that's what it's all about honey"

when I told him how special he made each and every one of us 7 grandkids feel He looked at me and said "You ARE special!!" when I thanked him for being such a fabulous GrandDaddy to me he whispered "you all brought so much joy into our house" and he felt that way about Laura Beth, Staci, Ally, Holly, Elizabeth Jane, & John David too & then about MaryKyle, John Mark, Adam, Cate, Holland, Brown, Scout, Lizy, Ellie & Greeley too!! He beamed when a grandkid or great grandkid was around and he was sure to point it out (and rub it in) when any one of us would proclaim we were "GrandDaddy's Girl" or "GrandDaddy's Boy" ha ha...we love him just as much as he loves us and are just as proud of him as he was of us!!!!! It made me feel special & oh so important to proclaim I was "John Holland's GrandDaughter!!" (I was pretty certain that brought some element of fame!)

He thought we were the coolest thing ever...each one of us ...and we felt the same of him!! We picked beans in his garden with him and listened to Geronimo stories and enjoyed his amazing talent for Uncle Remus Tales!! We'd curl up in his lap and lay down on his 'pillow' (AKA tummy) And listen to him sing about things like "The Animal Fair -although I'm not sure I heard anything but the first verse...then he just made stuff up which made it even more fun...ha ha!! oh oh how I wish I'd recorded him singing...WHY didn't I record him?? He would have found me crazy perhaps as even Saturday he joked about his bad singing, but I loved it...it must be how God feels about listening to us when we sing with joy to him. Because when my GrandDaddy sang to us I didn't hear his embarrassingly bad singing voice (well perhaps occasionally but it was endearing)...I heard a happy man who made me smile and laugh and just made me feel warm and safe snuggled up against him!!

There is SO much I could say about my sweet GrandDaddy. Seriously this blog post may never end. I've deleted and re-written a ton....but here's what I can tell you in just a few words about my GrandDaddy:

Jesus Loves me this I know...for my GrandDaddy told me so!!

Jesus Loves me this I know...for my GrandDaddy SHOWED me so!!

I'm going to miss him...but I WILL see him again....and as he told me just Saturday

"That's what it's all about honey!!"