Tribute to Edna E. Beedle Williams - Goodbye For Now My Beloved Grandma. You Will Be Missed. August 6, 1917-March 31, 2012

Wow this day has been a long and emotional day for me. It all started Friday afternoon. I called to chat with my mom for a few minutes and she told me that my grandmother was taken to the emergency room again. See for the past several years she has been suffering from Alzheimer's. Her mind has rapidly declined while her body has been so strong. The last few months she has been declining pretty rapidly both mentally and physically. She has been falling and hurting herself really bad for the last few months. So much so that she has had to be rushed to the Emergency Room several times. So when my mom told me she was taken to the Emergency Room again, I just assumed it was because she had fallen again and wasn't too concerned about it. Come to find out it wasn't because of that. She had been throwing up and was kind of leaning to her side a little bit so they rushed her to the hospital. The doctors did some tests on her thinking she might have had a stroke. Well the doctors ruled out a stroke and said that they think she just had a case of the flu and sent her home. My mom and dad were thinking about going up to their property in Priest River for a few days but decided to wait until Saturday morning to leave. Well, about 2:00 Saturday morning my dad gets a call from the Assisted Living place my grandma is living at to let him know they are taking my grandma back to the hospital because she isn't doing very well. She was still throwing up and her body temperature was dropping. When they got her to the hospital and the doctor saw her her blood pressure and body temperature were dropping and her kidneys were starting to shut down, My dad and the doctors talked several times and went over all the options. They all decided that the best thing for her was to make her as comfortable as possible and let her body do it's natural thing. She was 94 years old. At 10:30 am Satuday morning she passed away and went to be with Jesus. She has lived a long and fulfilling life. She had survived so many obstacles in her lifetime. As much as my family and I miss her and wish she was still with us, we are rejoicing in the fact that she has passed on to a better place and is in no more pain. We will see her again one day soon. It's so hard for those that have been left behind to not selfishly want to hold on to your loved ones forever. My cousin was the first one to make it to the hospital to see grandma before she passed. She held her hand and reminisced and read the bible to her while my grandma laid there with her eyes closed listening to her intently. She watched her take her last breath. We all met back at my mom and dads house for lunch after we left the hospital and had a good time reminiscing about "the good ol' days". I have so many fond memories of her and I just hanging out and spending time together. She always had a way of saying just the right words to make you feel better when you were having a hard time. She was such a loving, supportive, attentive, gracious, and generous grandma. God blessed us with such an amazing women that I am so proud to call grandma. She was my last grandparent. That is why I want to selfishly hold on tight to her and not let her go, but I can't do that. She will always have a special spot in my heart. I kind of feel like an orphan now. All I could do today is continuously thank God that I was here at home and not still in California. He knew that this day was coming and I needed to be here for my family and for myself. One thing that has been resinating in my mind today is life is so short and fragile. We aren't guaranteed tomorrow. We need to love those that are close to us and cherish the times we have with each other. Don't let the little things get in the way of spending time with those you love and appreciating them for what and who God made them to be. Hold on to them as tightly as you can and don't let them go until their time to is here. Don't take for granted that they will be here forever because that is just not the case. Don't wait until tomorrow to say I'm sorry or I love you or whatever else you need to say. We are all human and we all make mistakes but don't allow those mistakes to hinder your relationships. Thank you grandma for teaching me to love Jesus, love my family, and to cherish each and every day like it's your last. A little piece of my heart left with you today. You are going to be greatly missed. I love you so very much. Rest in peace my dear grandma. Edna Beedle Williams August 6, 1917-March 31, 2012