I can't imagine being through what Grandma has been through. To have lost her only daughter at age 2. To grieve and mourn and wonder and wrestle and pray and heal and hurt. To adopt another girl. To fill the gap where Janice should have been, yet know that Patti will never be Janice. To learn to love again. To learn to love differently. To live with the shadow of grief, while parenting four living sons and a daughter that will always remind you of the one you lost. To pour your life, love, energy, and soul into a daughter that chooses to step away from you, close herself off, and cease contact for years.
Tomorrow the funeral of Patti's husband brings mother and daughter together in the same space. Yet not by choice. And so a hug is out of the question. So close and yet so far.
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about." - Wendy Mass
Be merciful, for He has been merciful.
Love others as He has loved me.
Taking Grandma's story into account is easy because I know it. Remembering that everyone has such stories; stories that shape their choices, reactions, and personalities...that is harder to do.
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