Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Good-bye Great Grandma Elaine


Elaine Julian, known as "GG" around our home, passed away on June 3rd. This picture is of GG, her daughter, Nancy, and her grandaughter, Amanda. Today, we celebrated her life with a memorial service. It was a true blessing to be in the room with so many people who loved, adored, and looked up to GG. It wasn't a sad event today, but a time to remember her life, and how she truely lived every minute of it. We took the boys out of school for a couple hours and they were able to come. We wanted them to experience her memorial service but also wanted to teach our children how our family grieves the loss of someone so close to us. We had done a lot of talking about the service over the last week or so and were confident they wanted to be there. We were so proud of them. They sat through the whole service and were very interested at the stories that were shared. Jacob decided to get up and share a memory of what he remembered and loved about GG. We are always so proud of what a tender little boy he is and is becoming. He is very sympathetic and genuine. When Jacob feels compelled to share something, it really comes from the heart. Their mom also shared some thought about her grandmother and after she sat down, Jacob put his hand on her shoulder to see if she was alright. We were so glad that the kids were able to experience life through the death of their great-grandmother. It is a part of our life, and we were glad that they saw all of the love and smiling faces looking back at them today. We have done a lot of talking about death, where you go, how you get there, and all of the other questions that come up at the dinner table or at bedtime.
There was a nice lunch afterwards and then we took the kids back to their school so they could finish out thier field day. They weren't sure how it was going to be at first missing part of their field day, but they were so glad that they came. It is also so wonderful to see family and friends during a time like this. We all have been grateful for the time with GG as she lived into her 90's. We learned a great deal from her and she will always live on in our memories and in our hearts. Rebecca said it much better today when she shared her thoughts. Her grandmother was ready to meet the Lord and was very clear about this fact. She wasn't scared, but was calm and relaxed as she slipped away from this world to be with Jesus. See you in Heaven GG

1 comment:

Angela said...

Dear Rebecca and Robb,

I'm so sorry to read about your Grandma's passing, and yet, it seems as if she was ready. Blessings on all of you as you miss her, and live with the good memories! Hope to see you soon,
Angela