a true legacy

With tear-filled eyes and a heavy heart, I sit down today to honor a legacy well-lived. I never knew it was possible to feel like such a part of a family that is not my own or to be so loved by people who have no biological connection to me. Although I have an amazing family of my own, this family has welcomed me as an additional child, and in this case, grandchild, and have loved me as their own for the last two years. I know her as "Grandma", some know her as Sharon, many know her as "mom", a few "sister", and many more things that she is to different people. She is a woman who lived her life as a great adventure and who loved every person she encountered along the way. She truly made me feel like her own granddaughter, and she often claimed me as her own. I know I could never truly be her favorite, but she sure made me feel like I was in the running. 

Sharon Horn possessed joy only the Lord can give. With joy she walked through good times and with joy she walked through the hardest times. I had the honor to meet her two years ago and to be in her life pretty closely for the last two years, and I cannot imagine it without her in it. I never thought that my best friend's grandmother could make the impact on me that she has. I have seen her walk through the weddings of both her daughter and granddaughter, the time and effort she gladly put into making their days the best possible, and the joy she received from seeing the joy of those closest to her. Everyone who knows Grandma knows that she was a force to be reckoned with and she passed that fighting spirit into her family as well. I have seen her fight for herself, her health, and her family, and I have seen her family pick up and fight so hard for her when she was too weak to do it on her own. Resilience carried her through her days, a strength and hope that comes only from her relationship with Jesus Christ. Even in her hardest days, her words were positive and she kept loving people. Her last few months on earth were difficult, and I was able to see and hear firsthand, but she kept pushing through, never missing the opportunity to give a hug to someone she loved. 

Although I have only known her for a few years, and do not have that lifelong connection to her that many have, today I am giving myself permission to grieve. I was under the impression that I needed to be strong for those hurting worse than me and for those in her family, but through a close friend, the Lord showed me that it would be unhealthy and dishonoring to the life of someone I loved to stay strong and brush off the loss simply for the sake of the people around me. So as I grieve today, and the days past and the days to come, about the life we will no longer get to experience on earth, I get to grieve differently than those without hope. I get to grieve with the hope of heaven and know that one day I will see Grandma again. 

"Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

Here's to the day we meet again, to the day she will meet her sweet great-grandchildren that she already loved so much although they have not yet joined us on earth, and to the day I can thank her for being an important part of my life, probably more than she realized (she helped create some of my favorite people!) Sharon Horn lived a life of legacy, making an impact in every place she traveled and every person she saw, she laughed hard, partied hard, and loved hard in every circumstance, and never gave up an opportunity to send "love and hugs".

Here's to Grandma, a life well-lived, and a joy only heaven itself can match. We will see you soon and miss you until then.