Commentary by Danielle Pelkey

The North Jefferson News



Life can be crazy sometimes, and there are things that come along and just knock you right out of your shoes. One of these things happened to our family over the weekend.

My Grandma, Anna Louise Tesseneer, was in the hospital for a spot of cancer they had just found on her lungs. We were told Friday that she would be moved out of ICU by the end of the weekend and that she was doing great. But on Sunday morning, we got the unexpected call that she had passed away.

I can’t tell you what a blow this was to our family. Our Grandma was the heart of my Daddy’s family and we are going to miss her so much. But as I look back over the past few days that I spent with her in the hospital, I can see that she was preparing us for her departure.

We had some of the best talks that we had ever had while laughing in the hospital room. She told me that as soon as she got out of surgery, I had better pop her teeth right back into her mouth because she didn’t want people knowing what she looked like without them. And of course I laughed and told her that I would.

Grandma was an awesome woman of God and she wanted everyone to know how much that God loved them and wanted to be with them. She got a real revelation of God’s love while in the hospital for the past few days. She would witness to all of her doctors and nurses and tell them just how much she loved them and appreciated them. I just can’t imagine being that sweet to the people who are poking and prodding you all day long.

Grandma told me a few stories about her childhood that I had never heard and she kept telling us that she hoped we would see her when she passed away because she wanted us to see her reaching for the angels as they got ready to carry her to her Lord.

Grandma wouldn’t let you get sad over her; she just wanted everyone to be as happy as she was. She even made my cousin, my sister and me sing to her while in the room. Everyone said that we sounded great, but I think they were just being nice.

She kept wanting to hear “How Great Thou Art.” Now that will bring a tear to your eye. But I say all of this to get to the point. The point of this whole column is to wake you up. Wake you up to the fact that when you leave, people will talk about you, about the person that you were and the legacy that you leave behind, whether it be good or bad.

Your children will remember the stories that you told them years ago, and your grandchildren will cry when they think of all of the plates of grits that you prepared them for breakfast over the years.

What will people remember about you? Will they laugh over your sense of humor or will they mourn for a life that was lost? Today I mourn the loss of my Grandma, but I take joy in knowing that she is sitting with our Lord in heavenly places. This is a great day!