My Grandma Hutchings

Naida Cram Hutchings gave, without question, the most perfect grandmother hugs of all time.  As a little girl my body would melt into the soft skin of her loving arms.  In the glimmering surface of her eyes you could see the value she saw in you.  You always felt special and knew you were appreciated.  Her soul overflowed with so many Christ-like qualities of love and tenderness.  She was a soft-spoken individual with a soothing voice like calm water.  The light of her smile reached out and soaked into your heart, blanketing you from your worries and your fears.  She wasn’t afraid of silence.  I loved that about her.  There didn’t need to be the sound of talking and socializing filling the room to feel and know that you were loved by her.

She is a very real part of me.  I catch tiny drops of her personality that greet me throughout the day.   As I tilt my wrist to the side, I study the blue and green veins painted down my arms with comfort knowing the blood flowing through me was passed down through her.

I only remember seeing her cry once. It was when she talked about grandpa and how much she missed him.

This is maybe the first death where I’m old enough to truly understand death.  I’m finally beginning to realize that everyone has to die.  My innocent stage of unawareness has come to an end and my perspective has been tilted, realizing now that every individual who has passed on from this life was a daughter or son of God dancing through their existence once feeling as young and invincible as I used to believe I was.

It’s a beautiful pain.  Like stretching out a muscle.  Even though your body recognizes it as pain, your mind turns it into a good ache knowing it’s doing something positive and benefiting.

The reason why the joy outweighs the sorrow of this occasion is because she is reunited again with grandpa.  What peace.  I think of my love, Mitchell, and what it would be like to be torn apart for an entire decade.  After enduring this trial of loneliness for so long, she can forever let go of that heavy burden.  She can leap into grandpa’s wonderful, loving arms with the soothing assurance that they will never part again.

All day, I couldn’t stop singing to myself the song my parents wrote for grandma and grandpa’s 50^th wedding anniversary…

Years ago you set a course

To the stars

Sailed towards eternity

Two together

You put out to sea

You began a journey

To your legacy

Gliding free

Love fills your sails

And builds eternally

Your love breathes endlessly

Years navigating

You sailed through life

Gathering pearls

Seeing the world

You journeyed on

Gliding free

Love fills your sails

Builds eternally and still

Love breaths endlessly

Love you so much grandma!!  Thank you for making this world a more beautiful place.