Tina Cox with her late grandmother
Vaughtsviews.com contributor Tina Cox, a life-long UK fan, reminisces on the passing of her grandmother. It’s an emotional look back and one that will tug at your heart.
As I entered the Rehab Center to visit my grandmother that day in March I had no idea it would be the last time I would punch in the security code for entrance and the last fist bump I would share with Nanny.
I brought her groceries that day — the usual, white powdered donuts, Cheetos, Pepsi and Hershey bars. I sat on the side of her bed as we talked about the upcoming SEC Tournament and how she dreaded when I traveled. I explained to her that I would return in time to celebrate her 94th birthday on March 15.
If only I had known the next four months my visits would be outside her window I would have stayed a while longer and held her in my arms as she did me throughout
my life.
We celebrated her birthday outside her window. We celebrated Mother’s Day outside her window. She met her great great granddaughter for the first time outside her window. I would send her letters with pictures with words of encouragement hoping that she could read them whenever she was feeling lonely.
It became noticeably different the first of June. She wasn’t her jubilant self. Shewould reach for me from her bed and blow kisses as the tears streamed down her cheeks. She was fading, her spirit being taken away from the virus that had turned the world upside down.
Nanny gave up. Being confined to a room 24 hours a day with no family contact became a burden she could no longer bear.
She had prepared me years ago for this moment. She told me not to be sad her life had been a good one. She thanked me for giving her two wonderful great grandkids that she loved more than anything. She told me I would always be “the apple of her eye.”
We buried her the last week of July. Family members only were allowed to attend the service. There were no hugs from friends, no long line of cars to the burial site. Closure has been hard, in fact I do not know if I will ever reach that point.
The next time you complain about wearing a mask or not being able to dine in at your favorite restaurant remember there are spirits that need to be lifted. Don’t let COVID take those spirits away like it did to Nanny.
— Tina Cox, Contributing Writer
