Psalm 30:11-12
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord, my God, I will praise You forever.
At first, our granddaughter, Virginia Rose, didn't understand the need for Mimi, her Nonna, to move in with us. The room we give to Mimi has been hers ever since Uncle Giovanni moves out. Oh, how proud Virginia is to have a place of her own at our house!
So in order to accommodate her regular, overnight visits, Papa, aka Danny, orders a special mattress for Virginia so she can spend weekends comfortably sleeping in our bedroom. She is amazingly agreeable to the whole situation. Never complaining. Never asking for the return of "her" room.
Virginia genuinely loves her doting Nonna, and is always quick to listen to her and give her unsolicited hugs, gestures that never fail to make Mimi smile. Our little grand-girl brings so much joy to this wise and wonderful woman, who is willing to acknowledge what privilege her presence has taken away from Virginia, and is determined to make sure she understands that this coveted space will one day be restored to her.
The photo above attests to Virginia's belief in Nonna's promise.
Nonna always said in honesty
To beloved great-grandchild
That in future, the room would be hers
Once again. "I'm only leasing time,
And time, for me, is not forever given."
Virginia hears, believes in words bestowed
Upon her, every hope enveloped
Trusting words of elder filled with truth
For in it all, morning grace arrives
Mourning sackcloth turns to infinite joy.
Amen
Dear Friends,
Danny and I will be heading out this weekend to visit my mother, and then cruise down to St. Simon's, one of Georgia's Golden Isles, to inter Mimi's remains in the plot where her husband, Dan, and her in-laws are buried. As we are close to our 14th wedding anniversary, we will be spending the week on Jekyll Island, a beach rather than a mountain vacation.
The week after that is Virginia's spring break from school, so I will be taking her down to my Mom's for several days. Long story short, I won't be blogging for two weeks because of all these plans. If I don't comment on your blogs during this time, I ask your forgiveness and understanding. I won't forget you, and will continue to keep you in my prayers as always.
Love and blessings!
You have a busy time ahead, Martha. I shall be praying for you all. Best wishes and congratulations on your Wedding Anniversary. Enjoy your holiday.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you all.
Thank you, Victor, for your continued prayers. You are on my prayer list, too! Yes, we are looking forward to this time away.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Love and blessings to my dear online friend. I pray you and Danny have a wonderful anniversary celebration and then enjoy that g-daughter of yours. She is growing up fast before your eyes (and mine).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the well-wishes, Bill; we certainly need this break! And yes, Virginia is growing like the proverbial weed, and I can't wait to spend time with her in two weeks.
DeleteLove and blessings!
St. Simon's and Jekyll are favorites of ours! Our son & DIL live in Brunswick so we visit the Islands every time we visit them. Enjoy your time there. Your granddaughter is precious, indeed!
ReplyDeleteWow, Terri, my brother and his wife live in Brunswick, too! That was Danny's home for many of his growing up years. We will enjoy our time, and thanks for the sweet words about Virginia!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Blessed!!! I can't recall ever feeling so generous as your Virginia Rose … but my own granddaughter, Sarah, had a similar outlook when - back in 2002 - she had to relinquish her own bedroom to make room for her grandmother. (In my case, I suspect 'good' genes skip generations - lol.) Wishing you and Danny peace-full, happy moments in the coming weeks!
ReplyDeleteMevely, I don't think I'd be inclined to be so generous, either, or at least, I think I would have complained about it. Virginia is truly a gem, and your daughter sounds like one, too. (I also have a daughter named Sarah!) Thanks for the well-wishes!
DeleteLove and blessings!
So thankful for Virginia's loving and generous heart...and now she will be able to enjoy her special space again with new memories attached of a dear great-grandmother who enjoyed her presence there during her latter days. Those will be special memories that Virginia will always treasure. So happy for you to get a little vacation while taking care of your mother in law's last wishes. I know it will be a bittersweet time, but I do hope you will enjoy your anniversary vacation in such a beautiful place!! And then you will get to enjoy more time with Virginia and your mother when you get back. Sounds like you are making lots of special memories together. Virginia is a very blessed little girl!!
ReplyDeleteVery special memories, indeed, Pamela, and we are looking forward to this getaway at Jekyll. Yes, it is bittersweet, but so necessary to fulfill Mimi's last wishes. Virginia is such a blessing to us; As I mentioned to Mevely above, I don't think I would have been so generous in allowing a "guest" no matter how much I loved him or her. Now that she does have her room back, though, Virginia is one happy camper.
DeleteLove and blessings!
You well deserve some time away to grief, relax and enjoy grandchildren. love you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jean; yes, we need this time away in so many ways.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Aw, bless her little heart! She sounds like such a sweet, understanding little girl. I am so sorry for your deep loss and trust Jesus to comfort all of your hurting hearts. Have a wonderful trip, sweet friend, and we will miss you and be so happy to hear more from you when you get back home. Happy Anniversary, and many blessings to you and Danny!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Cheryl for your sweet words about Virginia, and your well wishes for us. Yes, God is providing ample comfort and peace at this time, for which we are truly grateful. We are so looking forward to this time away together.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Beautiful child... inside and out. Good job, grandma!!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time and Happy Anniversary!!!
Thanks so much, Floyd! We are finally back from Jekyll, and I'm grateful to be home.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Have a splendid trip! Your grand is precious, but I am sure you know that!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Our trip was fantastic, Loralu. Now, we are back for several days before I take Virginia to see my mom. She's all excited about it!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, I'm so sorry to be so late reading and commenting on this heart-felt and touching post. Praying that your time away is refreshing, renewing, cleansing--all you need it to be and more. May you experience God in a fresh, new way.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Kim, the time away was good, but I'm so glad to be home for the moment. Traveling is for the birds! Looking forward to this coming week spent with Virginia.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Happy anniversary! What a lovely heartfelt post about love and loss.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Galen! So glad you liked this post, my friend.
DeleteLove and blessings!