Dear Grandma, I will Miss You

Dear Grandma,

I will miss you.

Every time I sit down to write this, I find myself overcome with tears, filled with the realisation of just how much of a cornerstone you were in my life. Your quiet, gentle and warm radiance I have always known. Since the day I was born, you were there, like the most gentle touch of sunshine, always watching and always caring.

I have such fond memories of your little cottage under the shadow of Hummock Hill, swinging on the Hills Hoist despite you telling Andrew and me constantly not to do so. Warning us not to go near the deep, scary well or we might fall in and never get out. Daydreaming in the field of soursobs next door, imagining I was in my far-away world in the sky. Your cottage was magical, just like the stories you introduced me to. I loved listening to your books; I loved watching the videos you always had waiting for us.

But perhaps the greatest gift you gave me was reading and writing.

I hated it so much at school; I hated learning back then, I hated being bad at it - I couldn't understand the letters or grasp the meaning of words.

But you never gave up, and you made it so easy to understand, and you made it fun. You were so patient and kind as you taught me, week after week in our little tutoring lessons, to grasp the fundamentals.

I know that I love books and stories as much as I do today because of you, because you instilled in me such a love of the written word. You made something that was so difficult for me seem so beautiful and so full of life.

I cannot thank you enough for this magnificent gift, and every book I ever write, every story I ever tell, is because you took the time to teach me to love words, and to respect the power behind them.

I will forever cherish those nights spent in your little kitchen where you opened the world up to me.

I have cherished the conversations we've had over the years, the time we spent in my house together, the meals I got to cook for you, and the laughter we got to share. Most of all, I value the gentle, humble grace you taught me. Always you would encourage that God was ever present, even in the smallest things we did, and that His Grace was sufficient.

Grandma, you walked with the brightness of sunshine. This present world is a little greyer without you here, but I look forward to seeing you again in the presence of Our Lord, to share ever more wonderful stories together.