Be Serious: Decima Lucille Anderson

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Decima Lucille Anderson

Today a beloved woman passed away.

A woman born on April 12, 1916... the same month and year the light switch was invented.

She has pretty much seen it all.

She was the toughest, most courageous, strong-willed woman I have ever known.

Hans Christian Andersen once wrote that "a human life is a story told by God."

God told an amazing story with this woman's life.

We are sad. We are really sad. We want her here with us but I find myself thinking about how full her life was. She saw things, experienced things, and lived 96 wonderful years. For that, I can only celebrate.

Not many of us will live to be 96. We can only hope to stay on this Earth for that long.

It is hard explaining death to a 4 and 6 year old. It is hard for grown-ups to wrap their minds around the concept of death. How do you explain it to children? Today, we have talked about our memories instead of trying to explain. Memories will be with us forever. Caroline and Emma will always remember feeding her fish. They will always remember the pieces of candy she would give them. They will always remember her kind, loving spirit. They will always remember.

I will always remember her hands.

That sounds weird but her hands were amazing to me.

I remember sitting quietly in her house one afternoon. I am sure Caroline was rummaging through something and Emma was probably on my lap. We would talk and we would sit in silence. It was never weird or awkward. During one of those silent times, I remember looking down at her hands.

There was a blanket laying neatly on her legs keeping her small frame warm, hands gently folded on her lap, ring slightly turned in resting between her fingers, painted nails slightly chipped on the corners.

I remember staring at those hands. I remember thinking her veins and wrinkles were like a road map to life.

To me I felt like those hands probably held answers to questions I have about life. Honestly, those hands probably held answers to what most of us wonder about life.

Hands that sewed millions of stitches.

Hands that made hundreds of banana puddings and cakes.

Hands that killed snakes that fell out of her chimney.

Hands that loved the warmth and comfort of a dog.

Hands that helped birth babies and change many diapers.

Those hands were love, patience, trust... and almost always painted.

Her fingers were so slender that her rings would always turn all the way around. She never seemed to notice.

I noticed.

I noticed a lot about her hands. They were beautiful. I hope that my hands will one day be a road map.

I will always be in awe of what her hands have seen and done in her 96 years of life.

Decima.

That was her first name.

Decima is Latin for the 10th.

How ironic that the 10th would be the day that she was reunited with all of her loved ones in Heaven.

Lucille is the name everyone knows her by.

Lucille means light.

She will forever be a light in my life. I will do my best to keep her light alive in my girls too.

We will miss her a lot but like I told Caroline and Emma, she is an angel now and that is so awesome. I just hope God kept her beautiful hands the same when she got to Heaven. Oh, and I am pretty sure her nails are painted in Heaven too.