Grammy visited me today

My little oasis.

Today was dreary. It was overcast and on-again, off-again sprinkles. As I walked out of my class and headed toward downtown to grab a bite to eat something pulled me toward the Founder's Garden. For those at UGA, you know its beauty, but, for those who don't, it's a garden tucked on the edge of campus. It's a combination of flower beds, grassy areas, benches and paths. It's beautiful. Today, with the rain, it was empty. No one wanted to walk on the muddy grass and sit on the wet benches. Yet, this is where I found myself: on a stone path under a tree. Beautiful pink and purple flowers were on my right and a stone wall was on my left. It's a part of the garden that is tucked away; no one could see me and I couldn't see them. It was like a little oasis from the world. I just stood there for a few minutes. It was so beautiful! Wet, but beautiful!

"Grammy would love this," I thought to myself. It was so her. This garden that people passed by every day, but never stopped to really appreciate. She would have been the one to stop and take in the beauty, love and growth in the Founder's Garden. It's been two months and five days since Grammy passed away. It's weird. I don't think about her every day like I did in those first few weeks. When I do think of her I shed a tear (or a few/a ton). Time heals all pain. Isn't that how the saying goes? No matter, because I wouldn't call it pain. It's more of a longing to talk to her again, to hear her sweet "bye, bye now," as she hung up the phone. I wear her lessons and kindness on my sleeve every day--at least I try to--no one could ever match her compassion though. I feel her hand on my back as I make small talk with the cashier at the store, something that I didn't used to give much thought to; I feel her smile when I give a genuine smile to a stranger; I feel her heart surge when I donate to the collection at church, something I never felt obligated to do since "I'm just a poor college kid;" I felt her presence in that little garden today.

Gram would have noticed.

I saw her grinning and just breathing in the fresh scent of wet grass. She took in the garden with all of her senses, not just with her eyes. It was wonderful. She exuded pure joy. I didn't want to leave, but I needed to start studying. As I gathered myself to leave my little oasis, I looked down. Amongst all of the wet, droopy pink and purple flowers was a brilliant yellow flower standing tall. I bent down to look at it. I couldn't help it; it was that vibrant. As I looked closer, I noticed the water droplets on its petals. Even with the additional weight of the water, it was standing tall. I feel like it is something that Gram would have noticed. She would have said what a beautiful day it was. The rain brought new life to the garden. It washed away the bad stuff and gave strength and growth to all of the creatures and flowers. She loved sitting in her garden. She would have loved today. Actually, she did love today. She was right there with me. Goodness, I missed her. The good news is that God doesn't charge long distance. I can call on her anytime I want and she always answers. Today was no exception. <3