Remembering Grandma, and the Longest Day of My Life (That Was Worth Every Minute)

I can remember it like it was yesterday but yet it's somewhat of a blur. It started on October 11th, 2015. We were relaxing in an Oklahoma hotel room on a Sunday afternoon, and some of us were going to take a short nap before going to set up for our show that evening, but the phone rang before any of us could fall asleep.

The call was from a friend in Minnesota who had gone to visit my grandparents that day. Grandma had been quite ill for a while, but we thought she was on the mend. Our friend, who had a background as a hospice nurse, could see otherwise. "How soon can you get here?", she asked my mom. "I know performing is your livelihood, and I feel sick telling you to cancel a show, but I'd feel worse if I didn't. The time it takes to do the concert might be all the time you'd have to say goodbye."

So, we canceled our show and left the hotel as fast as we could pack. We got in the van and headed north. We stopped after a few hours for Subway sandwiches, but even that seemed to take too long, and we called Grandpa every couple of hours for an update on Grandma.

We drove through the night but I couldn't sleep, so I rode shotgun from about 2am so Mom could sleep for a while in the back. As we drove, things I'd heard Grandma say while I was growing up

came flooding back to me: "Finish one project before you start another",  "A card laid is a card played", "Bored isn't a word; either find some work to do or take a nap".  These were things I'd heard all my life but now I realized they were more than mere sayings, they were principles that my Grandma had not only quoted - she had lived them and taught me to also.

Around 7am on Monday morning, I called Grandpa and he said Grandma was doing fine and was able to get some rest. He seemed confident that she would still recover. We arrived at their farm sometime early that afternoon full of hope and ready to do anything we could to help, but all that changed when we got in the door.

Suddenly the only important thing to do was spend time together. We visited quietly with Grandpa, told Grandma we loved her and she would be okay, and tried to help each other smile. Friends, neighbors, and relatives also came to visit. Grandma didn't talk much but she would smile whenever someone came.

Grandma's pastor came and sang to her out of a hymnal he had brought with. "There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no, not one! No, not one! None else could heal all our soul's diseases, no, not one! No, not one..." He sang six verses, and it seemed like Grandma was listening to every word.

Around 1am on Tuesday, I went over to Grandma's bedside and told her goodnight. "I'm going to close my eyes for a while, Grandma, but I love you." She nodded. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?" She nodded again. Those were the last words I ever said to her. I'll always wish I could say more, but if I had it to do over again I'd probably end the same way. Why?

Because I know that someday I will see her again in a place with no pain, or tears, or goodbye's. You see, Grandma had trusted in Jesus for her salvation and she was certain of the eternal life promised in the Bible (John 3:16). Because of that promise, I'll never have to say "my final goodbye" to her.

Two years ago today, I said goodnight to my Grandma at the end of the longest day of my life. I'll never regret one minute of that day. I'll never regret that long drive from Oklahoma to Minnesota when I thought about Grandma, all the memories I'd made with her, and how much of an impact she'd made on me. I'll never regret the last few hours I got to spend with her - hours I would have missed forever if we hadn't canceled a show.

Folks, don't ever let your plans stop you from making memories with your loved ones. Those memories - those people - are worth every minute of your time!