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April 8, 2016

My Favorite Month But the Worst Day of the Year

Morning and happy Friday ladies. I hope your week wasn't too painful and you have some fun weekend plans. You know mine will be filled with boxes, packing tape, computers for research and hopefully a few fun times with friends and family.

Normally Fridays are fun posts recounting good times of the week. However, this Friday is one of those where a post like that would be a fat out lie of my mental state. April 8th has become a tough day for me and I just couldn't phone in a regular post. So, I'm sharing what I posted last year since my heart and head is heavy once again.

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April is one of the best months of the year, in my opinion. Spring officially makes an appearance with warm weather, flowers start to bloom, trees start sprouting new life, Easter usually happens [depending on the year], sweaters are put away for sleeveless tops, outdoor workouts resume and oh yeah, it's my BIRTHDAY MONTH! I'm a self proclaimed birthdayaholic [not just for myself, I love celebrating my friend's birthdays too] so April is birthday month, full of sparkles, glitter, drinks and special eats. I LOVE SPRING! I LOVE BIRTHDAYS! I LOVE APRIL!

But, six years ago April lost some of it's luster. Unfairly pneumonia started an unexpected chain of events that stole a beautiful soul from this earth. My mother's mom, Mo, fell sick and within less than a week she was gone. The unexpectedness, the DNR [whole other post], the choice I made to wait until the weekend to head down to Tennessee [will regret missing that time for the rest of my life], have all made dealing with her death extremely hard. We had seen her that summer and had planned to see her the next summer just like we did every year. Our yearly Tennessee trip to the lake was a week of fun in the sun and family time with our grandparents and aunt, uncle and cousin. Sometimes there was a bit of family discord, but all in all it was a wonderful week of good food, family and sunshine.

Mo suffered a stroke when I was younger and she started suffering from Alzheimer's when I was in college. There had been falls in the past and we knew an assisted living home might become a possibility because our grandfather T-Bone wouldn't be able to care for her as she needed. We knew she was getting older and that more patience would be needed during visits. However, the patience was never needed because too soon she left us to be home with the Lord.

I miss her. EVERYDAY.I.MISS.HER! But, April hits me hard. It's no longer just a happy sparkly month. It's a month that brings sadness, anger and tears. April brings back the pain of that weekend, the sadness of a funeral and the memories of so many people coming to honor my grandmother. She was an amazing lady. One who always had a smile, had a heart of gold and just loved to be around family. I can close my eyes and see her waving goodbye to us as we drove away from their home. I can still hear her voice say "Hey there, doll".
 

I still grieve that she wasn't able to be here for my wedding. I've written about it before, but her being gone kept it from being the perfect day. She would have loved the excitement. She would have loved the party and the cupcakes. I'm sure she would have had her South Carolina opinion about something [peeled tomatoes, straight hair parted down the center], but she would have danced on the dance floor and told me I was her beautiful doll. She would have walked own the aisle so proudly and hugged me and Le Husband a million times. She never got to meet the man of my dreams or witness me become a wife. She will never see her great-grand children and she will never be able to pass down advice on being a mother. Those moments have been stripped away forever and I can't help but cry as I type.

I honored her at my wedding with a picture on our wedding cake table. She loved cake and ice cream and I knew I wanted her picture where all could witness her beautiful face. I find myself looking back to these photos every time I scroll through wedding pictures. It's the little piece of her I keep in my heart from that day.

Wasn't she gorgeous? I get my small stature from her and my petite lil frame. I wish I had taken the time to cook with her more. I wanted to learn her butter bean, potato salad and ham recipe. Mama B will teach me, I know, but I wish I had spent time in the kitchen with Mo. She loved to cook. That's how she showed love, by cooking dinner for us every night when we visited. She wasn't as athletic as she once was, due to a midlife surgery, so she couldn't participate in some of the fun on the lake. But she brought us dinner every night and it was delicious.

We lost my great aunt, Mo's sister in 2013 and it happened to be the same week we had to say good-bye to Mo. It was so hard and it ripped open a scab I thought was closed for good.  The anger came back. The hurt came back. And my faith felt tested once again. To be honest it feels tested every April 8th. She's not here anymore and I regret all of the things I didn't say to her and the moments I brushed off because I would get frustrated. I lost so much and it was all my fault. But, there is nothing I can do about it now. All I can do is honor her memory and remember all the joy she brought to my life. 

Dearest Mo, I hope you know that you are missed so greatly. I hope you are proud of the woman your doll baby has become. I hope you are proud of how much I love to be in the kitchen and how much I love to cook. I hope when you look down on us you smile at Le Husband. He's a great guy, even if he isn't southern ;)! I know you and Aunt Rah-Rah are keeping people well fed up in heaven and I'm happy that the two of you are together. We all wish you could still be with us, but we know it was time for you to go home. Please know how much we love you and how often you are still thought about. I'll always pick the vegetables from the back because of you. I love you to the moon and back! < 3 your doll!

***To those reading that have lost a parent, please know I grieve for you. Losing my grandmother hurts me so badly, but I can't imagine the suffering faced when losing a parent. Please know I'm praying for you and send you a big hug***

Wishing you a wonderfull weekend, friends < 3

26 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry that this day and month is hard on you - Mo sounds like an incredible woman and from the photos you shared - you definitely have a few of her beautiful characteristics! xo, Biana

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  2. So sorry to hear about the loss and continuous heartache from
    Losing your Grandmother. She sounds like a sweet woman! Hold onto those precious memories and try to make the best of the rest of the month! ❤️

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  3. Sending you all the hugs today girlie. Your grandmother was (is) stunning!

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  4. Sending over prayers and happy thoughts for you today. I know how hard this has to be and I hope you find comfort in remembering the good times and the beautiful memories you shared with her. :)

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  5. all the love is sent your way today! your grandmother was so pretty - you look like her! this is a very very sweet post <3

    xoxo cheshire kat

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  6. So sorry to hear about how hard today is for you. Prayers and hugs to you and hopes that over time it will begin to get a little easier xo Beautifully Candid

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  7. Its always hard when those anniversaries roll around.
    I see so much of you in that picture of your grandmother young!!!

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  8. Such a touching post, I can tell how close you were and love the way you honored her at your wedding. Thinking of you today <3

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  9. So sweet of you to honor her with a post, and I love that her picture was at your cake table where she would have wanted to be. April is tough for me too, my mom's birthday is always hard...and even though I try not to dwell on the fact she's not here, it's still tough. Sending lots of love your way!

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  10. Thinking of you during this month! We lost my mom's mom right before our wedding and it was extremely hard, as well. Still is---I love the way you honored her at the wedding. We did the same thing at ours for all of those loved ones who weren't there.

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  11. So sorry to hear that this is a hard day for you, but I think your grandma is so proud of you! I love how you honored her at your wedding! Big hugs today! xo, Kristina

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  12. Aww I'm sorry to read that today is not a great day for you! Grandmother's are so special and I miss mine so much too! *Hugs*

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  13. She sounds like a great lady!

    I don't think we ever stop missing people that were important to us. But we honor them well by living fully and loving deeply.

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  14. Prayers as you remember Mo. You look soooo much like her.

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  15. Y'all resemble each other so much! My grandfather has Alzheimer's and currently has pneumonia and going into hospice as week speak. It is so hard to see them suffer like this. Thanks for this post #thestruggleisreal

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  16. Thinking of you today friend♥

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  17. Sending you lots and lots of *hugs* today sweet friend <3
    Green Fashionista

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  18. Thinking of you today friend!

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  19. Praying for you today, girlfriend. She would be so proud of you, especially this awesome adventure you're about to embark on! Sending you lots of love. Xoxo

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  20. What a BEAUTIFUL lady she was! I am always so taken back by older photos - such beauty. Thinking of you sweet girl!!!

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  21. Sorry you're feeling sad! Sounds like she was a wonderful lady!

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  22. I'm so sorry, sweet girl. I know how losing a love one can really taint a whole month. The month of August is a tough one for me because that's when I lost my beloved grandmother, and life has not been the same since she passed. Reading your post about all of the memories you have of her brought back a bunch of mine about my grandmother and I was tearing up too. It's never fair when someone we love is taken from us suddenly before we are ready to say goodbye. So thankful that our sweet grandmothers are dancing with joy in Heaven and that we will get to see them again one day.

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  23. PS: You look JUST like her. She was beautiful!

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  24. I agree with Jess you look just like her. I Know yoru heart hurts, but she is always with you.

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  25. She was a beautiful lady. My thoughts are with you!

    Ashley
    acutelifestyle.blogspot.com

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  26. Okay this totally made me cry! Sending you a great big hug! What a beautiful tribute at your wedding :)

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