Living Life ? Just Being Mary

February 3, 2013 by littlerhody

My Granny, Margaret, died in 1979 when I was fifteen. Sort of felt robbed because I hardly knew her due to the fact she lived in Ireland. And I didn?t. I had always looked forward to an opportunity to know her better. But that is not what this posting is about today. It?s more about her dying and less about me feeling robbed.

She died in Rome, Italy. A dear friend of hers, Fr. Tomas O?Fiaich, was being elevated to Cardinal. She was like a mother to him. So, his friends and family flew over to Italy in support and celebration.

Granny died the evening before the event. Peacefully in her sleep.

You might think it is sad that she didn?t die in her own country. In her own house.

But I am thinking that she died happy. And in peace.

It was a joyous time for her. To see someone she loved be honored in this way. She was with her family and friends. And she was living life.

Margaret, the wife of a relative of mine, died last week while on holiday in Spain. I felt terrible when I heard the news. But it got me thinking again about Granny dying away from home and how they had to get her body back to Ireland for burial. Same for them. Not easy for the family to deal with during such a sad time.

I don?t know all the details of her death. But I thought again about how she died. She was on holiday with her family. Surrounded by loved ones. Maybe not all of them but she was still with loved ones. Celebrating the new year in a beautiful, relaxing place. I am sure it was a joyous time for her.

Like it was for my Granny.

Of course, everyone wishes for the final goodbye and everyone wants them to be with us awhile longer. I am not posting about what it is like for the ones left behind. I can?t even imagine. I am merely recognizing that there are a lot of ways to leave the earth. Being happy and peaceful sounds fortunate to me.

I?ve always said before that it is truly important to live life so that there is no guessing from survivors as to how the person felt about them. Your loved ones should know that they are loved. That?s the least we can do for them. So they can properly grieve.

So, I wonder again, does it really matter where you are when you leave this earth? But how? Isn?t it more important to leave when you are joyous? With loved ones? Living life.

Posted in Catholic Lite, Family, Friends, Growing Old, Irish American, Musings | Tagged Cardinal, O'Fiaich, peaceful, Rome | 3 Comments

Source: http://justbeingmary.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/living-life/

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