Christopher's Great Grandmother, Anna Maxine Willman, passed away on Tuesday. She was a neat, Neat lady. We participated in the services to lay her body to rest today. I know I should write about what we've been up to for the last three weeks, but as I sit in this hotel room, in Marion Indiana, and Chris is finally just starting to doze off, I can't help but ponder the highlights of the last few days, with regard to their impact on him.
Chris has a gift. You know it as soon as you meet him. His gift is to bring smiles. Everything he does brings joy, even in spite of frustration, or pain, he can bring a smile to my face. (Sometimes this make discipline difficult.) Anyway, he uses this gift constantly, and this was no less evident than these last two days. We came up to Marion yesterday afternoon, for the Viewing. We were running late, of course, and had to come straight to the Funeral Home. Chris had been bugging us since about 20 minutes into our 2 hour trip, that he wanted to see Ama, his Grandma. I told him we were going to have to Drive Far to see Grandma. He told us, Drive Fast. We were unable to do so. Anyway, he was thrilled to find his Ama as soon as we arrived at the Funeral Home, but even more excited to find his cousins, Alexis (Yesses) and Kaylee (Teeee). A newer addition to the clan, Lily, Eric's cousin's daughter, enchanted Chris from the beginning. She's only 14 months, but the last time we saw her, she was not mobile, and we weren't in a location conducive to letting her on the ground with Chris. So, he'd only had lap contact. Last night, she was walking around with all the girls, and when Chris showed up, I swear you could see the twinkle in his eye, as he someone new to enchant, and add to his harem. He was only there moments when I caught a glimpse of him leaning over, hugging Lily and giving her a big smooch on the cheek. We laughed, Oh no, kissing cousins! However, we need not worry, moments later, his adoration turned into pushing, when Chris pushed her down to the floor. Obviously, Lily was unfamiliar with this sort of play. Everyone was cheering her on, to push him back. She got up and pushed Alexis.
Eric had taken Chris around the room to look at the flowers, we know how this boy likes to look at happy flowers. We had decided that we weren't going to draw attention to the coffin, or to Grandma in it. Too much to explain, and he was not prepared to understand it. But Chris is too smart for us. As Eric and Chris neared the coffin on their exploration of pretty flowers, Chris must've seen her, because he reached up and put a hand on the casket. Then he looked at Daddy, and said, "Dreat Ama Seepin?" (Great Grandma Sleeping?)
"Yes baby, Great Grandma is Sleeping." Eric could not say anymore, as tears filled his eyes, and he led Chris away from the coffin. I couldn't say anything either, when all he'd done is tell me that story.
Later, Chris sat down next to me, and I pointed to a picture of Grandma and Grandpa Willman (both his great-grandparents). I asked, "Who is that?" I hadn't heard Eric's story yet.
"Dreat Ama." (Great Grandma) He also identified Great Grandpa too. It just brought tears to my eyes, that though he hadn't seen much of them, except for holidays, he knew them. They knew him. They love him. The last time we saw his Great Grandma was two weeks before she passed, and she sat in her chair, watching Christopher on what seemed to me a mission to find all the pretty (and breakable) things in their apartment and get just close enough to scare Mommy into thinking he was going to total them. He didn't break a thing. And Grandma just smiled. She was most content surrounded by the noise of her family. She would've loved the viewing. There was noise, laughter. The kids were literally running around in circles, and having a great time. It was all the things a Celebration of Life should be.
At one point, Chris was running wild, playing with Daddy's cell phone (anything to keep him happy) and he walked into a group of adults who were laughingly in conversation. "Stop it, I'm tawting!" (Stop it, I'm talking.) He yelled. Repeatedly. The more he said it, the louder they laughed. The harder they laughed, the louder he yelled it. I don't know where he got it. ;)
Three grandchildren (and Eric's uncle) actively play trumpets, and it was requested that the 4 play Beautiful Savior for the service. So they were practicing at the funeral home. Chris spotted Uncle Ryan with his trumpet, and literally ran after him yelling Oto Ryan has trumpet! Paving the way. In addition, all her children and grandchildren decided to sing the hymn, When Peace Like a River (It is well with my soul). We practiced in a room with a piano at the funeral home. Christopher climbed up next to the piano watching the rehearsel with great interest and then decided he needed to join us in the musical offering, offering his own special piano accompaniment. It was beautiful, eyes were leaking just at the practice, so we couldn't do much.
Somehow we held it together to sing and play for the service, and it was beautiful. As soon as the trumpets were done, and the church was quiet, Chris yells Ah Dah Trumpets! Song Ah Dah! (All done trumpets, all done song.) He was in a great mood, he handled the service better than he does in church.
After the service, where he enchanted everyone with his "good behavior", he started in on the sweet church ladies who made the dinner. He went to town eating 2/3 of a roll, a half dozen peach slices, and 2 big pieces of ham. I haven't seen him eat that big a meal in a couple whiles. Too bad he wasn't eating like that last week. The nutritionist came out yesterday and Chris weighed 25 pounds, 3 ounces, about 3 ounces down from last month. Oh well, if he keeps eating like he did today, he won't be down for long. After the luncheon, we went to the family plot in Hartford City. Chris conked out on the way. It was the only sleep he got today, because he refused for an hour when we returned. He was very concerned that we didn't have enough Umbrellas (umbarella). It was raining all day, and we all huddled in under the tent as we watched all 8 grandsons move the coffin in. Chris stood on someone else's gravestone, while playing goose Aunt Amy, and tickle Kaylee. At the end of that service, I said, well now we have to say bye bye Great Grandma. He got a confused look, looking around, clearly Great Grandma was not here. I didn't know how to explain it, so I just said Bye Bye, and so did he.
After failing attempts at naps this afternoon, we all (25 of us) congregated in the hotel lobby. Took over actually. Chris was content to play with the girls. Cousin Kyle put all the great grandchildren on a luggage rack, and literally ran them down the halls. They though it was great! Then they played with toys for a while, but Chris was most content when the lobby television was switched to Spongebob, a treat he never gets at home, and he watched tv for a couple hours, enough for Mommy and Daddy to listen to some good family stories.
Once he started fussing (the show was over), we had to surrrendur, and go upstairs. Chris and Mommy went for a small swim in the hotal pool. Chris just liked to walk on the steps, though at one point he just leaned in and kissed me. After all the noise of the Willman clan laughing and talking, the quiet of this room, or the pool feels strange. No wonder Grandma loved it so much. It just makes me Thank God for the blessing that Chris is, and all the joy and smiles he brought to folks today. It's hard to be sad around such a soul as Christopher's with such a love of life.
Bye bye Dreat Ama