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If Love Could Keep Her Here...

If love alone could keep Granny here, she never would've left...

She loved her children more than life itself. There was nothing this woman wouldn't do for them. I remember when my mom -- her baby -- had her hysterectomy. Granny was well in her 80s and had lived with the effects of a stroke for at least 15 years. Her right side was partially paralyzed and she didn't have full use of her right hand, yet she was tipping around the apartment trying to make sure that Mom had something to eat. Never mind her own pain. It wasn't important at that moment. In her mind, all that mattered was that her baby was taken care of.

If love alone could keep Granny here, she never would've left...

Even though Granny had stopped going out of the house, we always made sure she looked her best. My mom would buy cute things for her to wear around the house, and my brother -- the perfume king -- made sure she smelled good. When I would come home, I'd comb and grease her hair like she liked it.

If love alone could keep Granny here, she never would've left...

My uncle gave up his life as he once knew it to make sure that Granny had everything she needed. He made sure she ate on time and that she was as comfortable as possible in her house. When he could no longer care for her because she'd gotten too weak, he was at the nursing home everyday making sure that everything was on-point.

If love alone could keep Granny here, she never would've left...

No matter where we were in our lives, we -- my mom, my uncle, my brother, and I -- always made it a point to come home for the holidays. When we were all together, Granny would stay up way past her bedtime to enjoy the company. She'd smile and say, "I'm so proud. All my children are here." She would be so happy, and it brought us joy to see her like that.

If love alone could keep Granny here, she never would've left...

The last time I saw Granny, I knew she wasn't doing well. We'd made the decision to put her on hospice care because her condition, coupled with her age, meant that there was little the doctors could do. She had been in intensive care, but she'd pulled out. They thought they were going to have to insert a feeding tube, but she'd started eating again. When I saw her, I told her, "You're looking pretty good, Granny," to which she replied, "Well, I'm alive!" I personally think that she pulled up because she knew I wouldn't have been able to leave her the way she'd been earlier. I'll always love her for that.

If love alone could keep Granny here...you know the rest.

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