The person that taught me the greatest lesson was my grandma. I wish I could have told her this while she was still with me. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen her for 8 years. She passed away from cancer on February 17th, 2003.
I didn’t fully realize the huge impact she had on my life until we all found out she was sick. She took care of me for 11 years. Other than my parents, she was the closest person I had, and probably the strongest person I ever knew. Despite the fact that she knew her life was coming to an end and despite the fact that she was suffering every day, she still greeted everyone and every day with a warm smile. She never once showed fear; instead, she continued to treat each day like it was her very last by enjoying every moment of it. When we asked her if she was scared of death, she would always reply with “if it’s time, it’s time”.
My grandma’s death really knocked me down to my knees and it took an awfully long time to bring myself back up. I was there for the last few hours she was alive, and I watched her slowly fade away until her very last breath. The impact that the experience had on me was more than words could describe. After her death, I honestly didn’t think I would ever be okay again. This person that I had been beside me all my life was suddenly gone.
So what is the greatest lesson I learned from my grandma’s death?
I learned that sometimes, the only way our deepest wounds can heal is time. The thing is, time didn’t allow me to forget; it just allowed me to move on.
So now, every time I experience something horrible that makes me feel like I am never going to be okay again, I think back to my grandma’s death. I now know that I am capable of healing from any difficult experience in my life, as long as I allow time to do its work.