Heather Hodges

My Grandma Ola finally went home on Tuesday night.  She would have been 87 years old on November 7th, and one of the things she and I talked about not long ago was how full her life had been.  I’ve always seen her as a Renaissance woman; she had so many experiences in her life and has seen many many things.  For example, in 1977 she traveled completely around the world.  We were living in Isfahan, Iran at the time and she came all the way from El Paso, Texas by herself to see us.  What an adventurous spirit!  She helped my parents pack up our home and take care of my brothers and me as we took a circuitous route back to the States.  We traveled from Iran to, New Dehli, to Bangkok, to Singapore, to Jakarta, to New Caledonia, to Fiji, to American Samoa, to Tahiti, to Bora, Bora, then home to the United States.  I’ve just spent the last hour reading through her travel journal/photo album of this landmark trip.  It was wonderful to read about our experiences in her own hand.  I even saw some pictures I’ve never seen before.  Here are some of my favorites (please excuse the quality).

Grandma “horsing around” at Persepolis, the palace of King Darius in Iran.

At the ruins of Persepolis.  Yes, all three of us have a #12 t-shirt on,  we were Cowboy’s fans of course.

At a luau in Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

On an outrigger in Tahiti.

Going through her albums reminded me of her lively nature and adventurous spirit.  She was always ready to live big.  Thanks Grandma for the lovely memories!

Today Wade and I held Caleb’s hand and cried with him as he said goodbye to his friend, J.J. Over the course of this past week Caleb has learned what it means to lose someone you love, someone he saw almost everyday and had so much in common with. I in turn have learned unforgettable lessons from my six year old son. Not only did I learn important things about J.J., such as he liked to dip his food in yogurt and pear juice, he could not run outside when it was cold, and he loved Snoopy and Star Wars. But I also learned that sometimes there are no right words for a mother to say. I learned that you can’t always protect your young child from pain, but you must walk with them through it to reach peace and healing on the other side. I learned that children are beautifully resilient. I continue to know that I am not strong enough or wise enough or patient enough to attempt one day of parenting without the Lord. I praise God for sustaining me this week, and today especially.

Attending a child’s funeral is a life changing experience. I’ll never forget walking into the gym at Wright Christian and hearing the theme from Star Wars playing and seeing J.J.’s coffin draped in a Star Wars blanket and a large helium R2-D2 balloon hovering over it. He and Caleb would sit in class and draw the Death Star with Tie fighters and X-Wings swarming all around it, and they would debate who was the best Jedi ever, Yoda or Luke Skywalker. J.J. and Caleb loved Star Wars. I have never experienced anything more heart-wrenching than when we walked up to view J.J. and Caleb had me place his favorite toy light saber in the coffin with his friend. My heart simultaneously broke and burst with pride.

Through the whole day Caleb was very brave and thoughtful. We talked about how J.J. is safe with God now and that he will never have an asthma attack or be sad again. We talked about what a joy and a privilege it was to know J.J. even for a short time. He would tell me stories about a funny thing J.J. did at school and how J.J. liked to sing. I put him in bed tonight and he prayed, “Dear God, help J.J. have a good time in heaven with Jesus.” Amen.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for J.J.’s family and for ours. “May the FORCE of JESUS CHRIST be with you always.” -from J.J.’s memorial.

Tulsa is under an excessive heat warning today until 7pm.  It is already 96 degrees and it is only 9:30am.  I think we will stay inside for the majority of the day and perhaps venture out to play on the slip-n-slide later.  My kingdom for a swimming pool.