Monday, October 30, 2006

The Most AMAZING Woman in the World Has Passed Away

I received the dreaded phone call this morning at 3:00am. The phone call that many in my family have been dreading for quite some time. We have often spoken of what it would be like when she finally did pass away and how my family would mourn the loss of the 91 year-old matriarch of our extremely large family...the family that SHE and my grandfather created.

3:00am :
"Suzy............Suzy are you awake? I need to you listen.....mommy and I are both here............your Granny passed away a little bit ago from a heart attack..........."


Granny's Last Picture August 2006


Silence from my end of the phone...
all these thoughts running through my head:
* thank God it was quick and relatively painless
* what a blessing that she will finally be with her husband that she has been missing for SO long now.
* she will reunite with the son and daughter she has already had to bury in her lifetime

And the thought that most grips me now, at 4:15am while I am puffy-eyed and sleep deprived, is....when was the last time I saw her?...I am plagued with it. Surely it wasn't Christmas 2005, a whole YEAR ago. My mind races, but I cannot place it. When was the last time I spoke to her? Did she know how much I loved her? - How often I thought of her?...What was the last thing I told her? Did she know how much I loved her and how much our whole family adored and looked up to her?

Clara Laman was truly amazing...INCREDIBLE. She is everything I, and every other member of my family, hope to be one day. Marrying at a very young age, to a man who was twice her age, my grandmother and grandfather had a strong, Christian marriage- full of love and happiness- that lasted until the day he died at age 90, when I was a small child. Needless to say, longevity definitely runs in my family. They had nine children, YES NINE! There was Bobby, Johnny, Alan (who died soon after childbirth), Bonnie (who lost her battle to breast cancer several years ago), Patsy, Betty, David, Judy, & Jany. After delivering 7 babies, my grandmother learned that she was pregnant yet again! She did not know that she would be delivering healthy identical twin girls, until the day she gave birth! (CRAZY! That just blows my mind! I would have fainted!) My mom, Jany, is the youngest of those twins girls. So, as you can see, we have a family as big as a small country! ;)

July 2005

My grandmother had the BIGGEST heart! She LOVED her children, grand-children, great grand-children, and great great grand-children! (Can you imagine? Great-great-grandchildren?) She LOVED animals and wouldn't even kill bugs that crawled their way into her house. She would always be humming and singing church songs while cooking breakfast early in the morning, or lunch or dinner....really, anytime for that matter. Oh, gosh......how I'm going to miss hearing her singing around the house. She was such a strong woman who lived independently in her own house, by herself, even at the age of 91! She would have turned 92 this December 23rd.
I am saddened to think that my mother has now lost both her father and her mother. I cannot even begin to comprehend that feeling...

I will be leaving shortly to go to work today, but plan on driving to Waco early this afternoon and then onto to Brackettville, Texas to be with my family for the rest of the week. Please, please keep my family in your prayers.


Mother's Day weekend 2004

12 comments:

lauren said...

I am so sorry, Suz! She sounds like such an amazing person. What a great legacy she left behind! I will keep your family in my prayers and will be thinking about you.

Anonymous said...

With much tears and joy, she will be missed. Even though I was a great grand she poured her love to me as well. She will always have a place in my heart and I long to live up to the christian that both her and my grandmother were. I know that she loved you and I just wanted to tell you that I love you as well and I am blessed to have the both of you in my family both blood and spiritually.
THANKS GRAN, Granny Laman, Granny Lady, Mom Laman, the OLD one, and the Old Batalax.... TEAR

Suzanne said...

oh yeah, gran's favorite song of all time? "I'll Fly Away"

Some glad morning, when this life is o'er
I'll fly away
To a home on God's celestial shore
I'll fly away

I'll fly away oh glory
I'll fly away (in the morning)
When I die Halleluiah bye and bye
I'll fly away

Nicki W. said...

suze,

that is never easy. i ma os happy to see you have fond and delightful memories of her--and she was precious!!

nic

Amanda's News said...

Oh Suz,
My heart goes out to you. She truly sounds like an awesome person! It is so nice to read your memories of her. I will be praying for you family.

Sunni Len said...

Thanks for the pics Sue it helps to see her w/ a smile on her face. I am thankful that she at least got to see a picture of Aaron before she left us. I just wish he could have known her. I will so miss hearing her sweet way of greeting me, and trying to get the lip stick rubbed off after church.

Erik said...

Suz- what a beautiful tribute to your sweet granny. You and your fam are in my prayers. Love you!

Kimberly said...

Suzanne, this blog really touched my heart! Your love for her is obvious and I know you will miss her greatly. She sounds like an amazing woman-one like we all strive to be like. It seems like her legacy is living on through your Christian faith and I'm sure she is looking down from above with loads of pride.

aWare said...

Tears feel my eyes while reading this! Oh Suzanne, that is so hard, I am very sympathetic to your feelings of your grandmother! I am thinking of you today.

Nate, Maurine, Hannah, and Monroe said...

Suz- My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family- I know how much you love your Granny- Please tell your mom I am thinking of her too. Love mo

Suzanne said...

oh, thank you all so so very much for the kind words and prayers. it was a very lovely funeral. granny looked beautiful and peaceful. so nice to get to see around 60 members of my family. thanks again...i truly appreciate it.

Suzanne said...
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