Taking Flight

Have you ever watched a bird take flight?  It's an amazing sight to see and it's one I've paid close attention to lately.  Some birds like the eagle raise their wings and flap them two or three times before gliding majestically into the air.  Others flap their wings rapidly over and over while their little bodies bob and weave just to get off the ground.  It's strange to consider but I think humans are like this too.  Some people appear to struggle every day of their life while others make life and living seem effortless.  I'm not saying they don't struggle it's just somehow they are able to do it with a little more grace.  Do you know what I mean?

Thursday, Bird's grandmother, Edith died at the age of 93.  She may have been one of the most amazing and inspiring women I've ever known.  She survived the death of her husband 43 years ago.  She had and beat cancer.  She lived daily with diabetes.  She overcame falls and breaks in her Golden years and never let any of it slow or get her down.  She found beauty in EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.  Each time we were together I laughed.  Often, she would scare me to death by gasping in awe over something.  Most of the time it was something the rest of us would pass by or take for granted.  She however, would look at it as if it were her first time.  She watched in amazement like it was a firework exploding across the night sky.  It could be the shape of a cloud.  A bird taking flight.  A leaf laying in the gutter.  She noticed the tiniest details and beauty in everything and sometimes we were blessed to have her capture it in a painting.

She painted dozens of ornaments with the Texas Bluebonnets on them both. Bird and I were blessed to receive two sets of them; the first when we were married and another when Yaya joined our family.  In recent years, we've been afraid to put them on our Christmas tree for fear Yaya might accidentally break one.  We couldn't imagine decorating our tree without them this year just as we can't imagine our life without her in it.   

Last Thursday, as I sat at a busy intersection waiting for the light to turn green I watched a white dove take flight.  It was magical to watch it leap off the telephone pole, gliding effortlessly in the air above the passing cars.  Moments later I watched it turn mid flight and disappear into the sun.  In that moment I thought about Edith and how she would have loved to witness that little bird as much as I just had.  Little did I know within an hour or two we would be receiving a call telling us she had passed away at around that same time.    

To say her life was full would be an understatement.

You only have to hear how large her family is to get a teeny tiny glimpse of how many people's lives she touched in her 93 years.  She leaves behind 4 children, 11 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren and 6 great great grandchildren.  Each and every one of them meant the world to her.  She was a philanthropist and a pillar in her community, church and our family.  She was the last of a generation in Bird's family.  She is and will always be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Please join me in praying for Bird and his entire family as they come together to honor and celebrate her life this Tuesday morning. 

Dearest Edith, I'll always cherish our moments together sharing a tender moment, a laugh or experiencing one of God's creatures through your eyes. I know the photos I take and try to capture are because of you and your influence on how I see the world.  I will especially remember what I believe was my last glimpse of you and your spirit as you took flight into heaven on that sunny winter afternoon.  Until we meet again grandma.