{the one about jane}

My grandmother is 93-years-old and has lived a truly incredible life. As the end of her life draws near, I'm filled with so many emotions that I don't quite know how to encapsulate them with the english language! All I know is that it's 11pm and I have a desperate need to tell the world about this amazing woman who is about to make her exit.

Jane Guba is a red-head. And she has a vibrant personality to match. Her laugh is legendary - it's completely contagious and the kind of laugh that takes over a room. She promises up and down that laughter is the key to life and to a happy marriage - and considering that she's lived so long and lived so happily as my grandpop's wife - I would have to agree:) I've seen my grandma laugh so heartily at the shenanigans of her four daughters and twelve grandchildren that she's nearly had an asthma attack. She's also to blame for my terrible laughter timing - we both can't help but laugh when the people around us get hurt. I know, it's terrible!! Grandma's one flaw:)  But if you trip or fall in front of us - chances are we're guffawing in your general direction. 

There's this story about she and my grandfather when they were engaged - a few days before their wedding they got caught in a terrible rain storm. My grandpop, ever the gentleman, went to help her into the car with the umbrella but as he tried to get back into the car and close the umbrella - his hand got stuck and the handle started pinching him! Now what did my grandma do as my grandpop hollered and jumped around getting drenched in the pouring rain? What any respectable woman would do in that situation - laughed so hard that she couldn't even stop to help him! Funny enough, almost the same exact thing happened to Jesse and I during our engagement - except that half of his body got stuck inside the trunk as he reached into grab something. I was laughing so hard as he yelled for help that I couldn't even respond for several minutes -- oops! I know, I'm awful - but even as I write this I'm cracking up and I know she would be snickering right beside me. :)

Every year Jane leaves me the same voicemail on my birthday - she sings "Happy Birthday" and then wishes me in the sweetest, most melodious voice a "woooonderful day." Her voicemails are the best because she talks to me like we're writing letters back and forth. She asks me about the weather in Boston and about how Jesse is doing and always asks when I'm coming to visit her in Florida next. I have to call her back in order to answer her post-card voicemails and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

My grandma and grandpop have taught me what true love looks like - it's trips across the country in your RV, it's daily walks around the mall, it's serving your husband lunch, it's giving your wife a hug from behind as she does the dishes, it's matching La-Z-Boys, it's weekly dates to Wendy's, it's good morning kisses, it's overlooking an offense, it's laughing at the past. And now, it's holding hands and forehead kisses and telling her you love her as she prepares to meet your Lord. 

And that brings me to my favorite thing about Jane Guba - she taught me about God and what it means to live my life in service to him. Every visit, every phone call, every conversation has reminded me of what a love affair with God looks like. She doesn't just talk the talk of faith - she lives it constantly and I'm honored to follow in her footsteps. 

Watching Grandma face death has been an emotional rollercoaster for me and I can't even imagine how my mom and her three younger sisters must feel. I think the weird thing about death is that from an early age, we associate it with something evil and tragic. But as I studied the scriptures - I realized that there is nothing evil or tragic about my grandma leaving this world. I turned to one of the most popular Psalms in the Bible and there I found comfort,

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

Did you catch that? With God, I have nothing to fear and neither does my Grandma. There is no guilt, no fear, no evil - only hope. 

I'm not sure what day will be Jane Guba's last, but I know that it will be a day of both sorrow and joy. Sorrow for my mama, my family, and my grandpop especially. But I know that it will also be a day of tremendous celebration in heaven - one of God's precious saints is finally coming home.