THE LAST HUG
(author unknown)
I said, "Say good-bye to grandma,"
and in my stomach, I felt a knot...
"And give her a very special hug
that shows you love her a lot."
_____
I reminded her, 'be gentle . . .
she isn't feeling well today,"
and I let them have their moment
as I slowly baked away.
_____
She welcomed my child's embrace;
her weakened arms held open wide.
I had to walk in the other room
and it was there, I knelt and cried.
____
I knew we were sharing the same fera
as reality began to unfurl;
we both knew this could be the last time
that she would hold my little girl.
____
There was something different in this hug;
as if my young daughter had a sense,
of the importance of that moment
and its true significance.
____
In my mind, there is a memory;
an image unlike any other
of watching my daughter share this love
with her daddy's gracious mother.
____
I wondered how she understood
the special reasons why,
as she laid her head on grandmas shoulder
and precious minutes passed us by.
____
Thinking back now, I remember
those feelings when we had to leave . . .
because indeed, that was the last hug
from her, my daughter would receive.
____
And although she's gone, she's not forgotten,
for I see within my child . . .
the warmth and love that we all felt
every time that woman smiled.
____
We all must face the inevitable,
but I can't help but wish it so,
that she was still a part of my child's life,
and still here to watch her grow.
____
But I will speak of her special ways
and make my daughter understand
that in the word "grandmother,"
she exemplified the "grand".
____
So every time you leave a loved one,
remember the present becomes the past,
and make that hug a special one . . .
for it could be the very last.
____________________
____________________