Absent …. from
the body, my sweet Gigi is present with her Lord and Savior. Three years ago
today, at 5:30 in the morning, surrounded by family, and hand in hand with the
man she had faithfully loved for 64 years, my dear Gigi stepped into eternity.
Her faith became sight, she sorrowed no more.
I will say again what I said when I
marked 2 years and will probably think for years to come. In some ways these 3 years have gone so quickly and at other
times the moments have seemed to drag. I
cannot imagine what these last years have been like for my Gigi. In Heaven with
all its splendor, glory, and beauty and being face to face with her Savior; I
can hardly wrap my mind around it.
Three years in Heaven is not even a dot on the page in the book of
eternity. To see the physical realities
of the faith you treasured, what an amazing hope we have in Christ.
I miss having Gigi in the kitchen with me. Over the years she taught me to cook. She was the consummate hostess and passed on to
me her desire to show love through food. I miss having her living example,
but will always have the legacy, of how she selflessly loved her husband. I miss how Gigi cried every time she spoke of
her daddy. He died when she was 14. I
miss the sounds and smells of them living in our home. I miss sharing Christmas with them. The hard part is living with the familiarity
of what once was. We are still here, in
this home we shared with them, and while many things are much the same they are
so very, very different. I miss seeing
both Gigi and Papa with our children; they each took so much joy and delight in
the lives of those around them. I loved
watching Chad and the kids help them both to the table for dinner. I
miss having every one of our dining chairs full.
Once again, we will have Top Ramen and Garlic English Muffins
tonight for dinner. A funny memorial
dinner isn’t it? Definitely not because that was all she could cook … no
way! She was an amazing cook! We really could be having Stuffed Mushrooms,
homemade pasta, Italian Chicken or steak and spaghetti with oil and vinegar
salad, Manicotti or one of my favorite birthday dinners she used to make me as
an adult …. Calzones! She was a
masterful cook. No, we are having Top
Ramen and Garlic English Muffins because that is what the children remember
most that she made for Papa and for them.
The years they lived with us she didn’t cook much at all but Papa loved
Top Ramen and Garlic English Muffins, and she loved Papa, so she made him those
as often as she could in the early years of living with us. Mitchell and Isabelle especially have
memories of slipping next door to the trailer and joining Papa and Gigi for a
lunch of Top Ramen and Garlic English Muffins.
Silly dinner I know, but it fits the memories and gives us a little part
of Gigi for the day.
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