Day 118: She Was the Real Deal

I wish I had a picture, because you know, most often a picture speaks a thousand words. But you will have to settle for my thousand words.

But I do wish I had a picture of her to share with you. She was the most incredible woman. She lived 96 long years, widowed at the age of 55, the mother of 5 children, and grandmother to countless numbers (there probably is a number, but I don't know it, so I just said countless. Not because I need to make her sound more special, but just because I don't actually know. But it was a lot. Her kids were PROlific).

The thing I loved about Annie Dee was how much she loved. She loved life. She loved her family. She loved her kids. She loved her grandkids. She loved my kids. She loved to bake (oh and man could she make a pecan pie. It's world famous. I have her recipe).

But most of all. She loved Jesus.

Before she died she'd had multiple heart attacks, multiple strokes, lost the use of one side of her body which made it almost impossible to understand her speech.

I have a million stories I could tell you about her, and I probably will in some future posts. I might even dig up some pictures.

But I wanted to tell you about the last time I saw her before she died. She was lying in the hospital bed that was in her bedroom at home. Above her head was a plaque that read, "There's only one life and it will soon pass, then only what's done for Christ will last."

She said to me in her very broken speech. "I don't know why the Lord won't just take me home. But I guess my work here isn't done. Michael has a brain tumor you know (her grandson) and if I don't pray for him, I don't know who will. So that's why the Lord's keeping me here. To pray him well. Once he's well, I'm going home. Home."

It wasn't but a few weeks later that I learned that Michael had indeed been healed. And Annie Dee went home where she had longed to go for so many years.

The other day on facebook one of my cousins (Michael's brother) wrote on my wall, "Cuz, you are so much like Annie Dee. You have her heart." I can say in all honesty that is absolutely the most incredible thing ANYONE has ever said to me.

All that to say, if I could be like anyone in the world, it would be her. She was the real deal.