Sunday, May 17, 2009

Cecily Kate



Today I was thinking about my 13 year old granddaughter, Cecily Kate. She has such a sweet spirit, and she always warms our hearts with her smile. Grandpa and I are always saying how precious she is to us, and how much we love her.

When Cecily was little, she was a live wire! She would run and squeal with excitement, and sometimes it was hard to catch up to her. When her sister Anna was born she had to be flown to Ks. City to Children’s Mercy Hospital to have heart surgery shortly after birth, and my daughter Lynnette, her husband Kyle, and Cecily and their other two kids, Jared and Abigail and my husband and I all stayed in the Ronald McDonald house there,…in one big room. I think we were there for 10 days, and during that time I spent my time taking care of Cecily. We formed a special bond during that trial.

Cecily was an adorable little girl with an energy that was hard to match. I had recently gotten over pneumonia and was kind of low on energy myself at that time, so in the afternoons I would go back to the room and take a nap with Cecily while grandpa and the two older kids occupied themselves in the game room or watching a movie, or going down the street to the park. I would tell her a story and sing little songs to her and try to get her to go to sleep. Sometimes I was successful and sometimes I wasn’t, but I enjoyed that time with her whether she slept or not. We would cuddle and giggle, and I loved it.

When Cecily’s little sister Anna was about 9 months old she had to have another heart surgery and she spent three weeks in the hospital and had a close call with death, but Anna recovered and came back home to us. We were all so thankful. During that surgery we stayed home and kept the kids at their house. That was another bonding time with Cecily Kate and her siblings. The kids gathered eggs from the chickens everyday and my husband over saw the milking of the goats, as Jared and Abigail did that. John did it too, and I strained the milk and found ways to use all of it.

Over the years Cecily and Anna were inseparable. They did everything together, and were wonderful friends as well as sisters. 4 and a half years ago Anna’s heart gave out and she suddenly left this world to be with Jesus when she was just 6 years old. This was so hard on everyone in the family,…but I think Anna’s death left a big gap in Cecily’s life because her playmate was suddenly gone.
God was so good to Cecily to give her grace enough to carry her through that time.

It was amazing the way that Cecily tried to comfort her family, and she would hug her mom and tell her,.. “you still have me”. Grief was a process and each of them had to deal with it on their own, as well as together as a family. And they all leaned on each other and on God to get them through it. And we did the same. God was so faithful during that time,.. and He remains faithful and true to His promises.

I have written this story many times before in different posts, so I won’t continue more on that subject, but I just wanted to acknowledge the depth of sorrow our Cecily has gone through at such a young age. The Lord has given her a quiet strength.

Cecily became a Christian and got baptized and it was a special time in her life. God had a hold of her heart and her life in a big way. And He still does.

Cecily loves her little brothers and helps take care of them. She is always holding Harrison and watching after him. He is very attached to his big sister. He will be two in July, and he likes to climb on things and play outside with his bigger brothers Silas 7 and Jonas 5. Cecily helps keep and eye on all of them when her mama needs her. I am impressed with her mothering skills. She reminds me of myself at her age, as I helped care for my nieces when they were little.

In fact, Cecily kind of looks like I looked at her age. My brother mentioned that one day and I agreed with him. It is fun to see yourself in your grandchildren. (Smile)

Cecily has mellowed out over the years. She is calm and quiet much of the time. She hangs out with her older sister Abigail and her mom a lot and they have girl’s day out sometimes. Cecily is a home body and likes to stay close to mom and dad and her siblings. But sometimes she likes to spend time with Grandma too.

My husband and I often go on vacation with Cecily and her family and we enjoy that time with her, as well as her siblings. We are glad that they are nice enough to ask us to join them. In fact we are planning another trip in September.
I look forward to some quality time with Cecily Kate and her family. It is hard to believe our girl is a teenager now. Time just seems to fly by these days! We thank God for her and for the joy she brings to our lives.

Linda~~~ May 2009

19 comments:

Kristin said...

I enjoyed getting to know Cecily a little bit through your post! She is a beautiful girl and I can tell from her pictures that she has such a sweet spirit.

I think for your trip in September, you should all come to Houston! LOL!!

Hope you had a good weekend!

Love ya,
Kristin

Veronica said...

Linda,

Thanks so much for your sweet comments. You always make me feel so special!

This was a great post. It was great getting to read about Cecily. She is blessed to have such a wonderful grandma as you!

HappyascanB said...

This is just precious. Hearing a little of the story from your perspective in addition to Lynnette's adds so much "family" to the entire ordeal! I am sure Cecily will always cherish her loving grandmother!!!

Love Abounds At Home said...

Thanks for posting about Cecily. She's a cutie pie :)

September said...

Linda-

You are such a special grandmother. Truly. Your Cecily is such a dear! I have always seen the sweet spirit she has thru Lynnette's blog pictures, and now your comments. I am glad that you are in tune with her having such a deep hole where her Anna was in her life. I can see that in her pictures also.
Thank you for posting and sharing the loves in your life.

Muthering Heights said...

She sounds like such a loving, strong, precious girl!

Lolli (aka Lisa) said...

What a beautiful blog about Cecily! She IS beautiful, and I can tell has a sweet, sweet spirit and strength to go along with outward beauty...just like her Mama and Grandmama! She is a priveleged young lady to have her family who loves her so much and is sensitive to her feelings and needs! I look forward to the day when I can meet them all and spend time with all of you! I hope your headache gets better. From one who has a headache every single day and has had for 44 years, I am praying that it will leave you quickly! Lord Jesus, touch Linda's head right now, please, and totally remove any remnants of pain from this allergy migraine! Father, please place a hedge of protection around her physical body during this time of high pollen counts, and keep her immune system strong, to be able to ward off any illness that would try to come in and attack her body. I pray, Lord, that you would give her a sweet peace and rest in this moment for the rest of this day - pain free - and I know she will give YOU all honor, glory, and thanks. We love you, Lord, so much and it is in your precious name I pray, Amen!

Linda said...

Thank you so much for praying for me sweet sister in Christ.
Love you,
Linda

Dawn Marie said...

what a neat bittersweet heartfelt post. life is just so short at times, and so precious isnt it? its just great that you all have each other and are so close.

A Joyful Chaos said...

What a sweet post. She is fortunate to have a Grandmother like you!

Jennifer said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday...I do pray that you are feeling better this morning - with that migrane completely gone!

My little granddaughter is almost one - hard to believe...I sure pray I can have such a sweet relationship with her as you described with Cecily Kate - how special! Grandkids are great!! Even if their games give us migranes?!?? :)

Take care - Jennifer

Unknown said...

I loved this post about my (our) sweet Cecily. She is a beautiful person with a bright future ahead.

She is blessed to have you for a Grandma (and Dad for a Grandpa).

Hope you're feeling better.
Love,
Lynnette

Kelly @ Sufficient Grace Ministries said...

Love this sweet post about Cecily. You are such a sweet Grandma. So sorry to hear that you are dealing with migraines. I have occasional migraines myself...no fun. Praying for you, sweet friend.

And...thank you for your sweet words of encouragement...you are always a blessing to me.

Love to you,
Kelly

Lisa said...

I ordered Lynette's book and the minute it arrived (2 days ago) I've been hard pressed to put it down. I've just read the part about your stay at the Ronald McDonald House. I thought it was fairly "unique" timing that you just wrote about it on your Blog! Thank you for your prayers for my daughter, grandson and myself. We really never stop worrying about our children we just simply add to the "pile" when our precious grand babies arrive, don't we?!
Blessings!
Lisa

Kathryn said...

Thank you for this lovely detailed post on your precious granddaughter.

I've not been following Lynnette's blog for very long. I've mostly heard about Abigail & Harrison. I know that often middle children in a big family feel overlooked (i'm not saying this is happening in her family, only that i know that it does). How very special for Cecily to have a special bond with you. It is important to feel special.

I'm sorry about your migraine. I used to have them horribly. I began getting a new therapy a few years ago & it has made such a difference for me. I used about the same amount of meds in the last three years as i used to use in 3 weeks, & have not had any at all now since early Dec. Such a joy! If you are interested, you could email me.

Hope you feel better soon.

Verna said...

That is so lovely that you can spend time with your granddaughter.
Just reading this blog shows how precious she is to all of you.

Hopefully, you are feeling better today.
(Wish you were closer--I could practice my reflexology on you to see if it helped any.) I have to do so many before I go to the next learning step.

Becca said...

What a beautiful post about your granddaughter. It is obvious that she as well as your other grandchildren are really special.

I also want to thank you for your sweet words and encouragment. It means so much to me to read such kind things from different bloggers. I appreciate it so much!

The Stylish House said...

Linda,
Thank you for sharing this touching story of your family. It is difficult to know why these things happen, but they do and the experience makes us grow and appreciate life in a deeper way. Everyday I am reminded we are sharing on this journey of life and on the same path together. Sending my thoughts and prayers to you and your loved ones. ~Cathy~

Nutmeg said...

Cecily is such a sweet spirited young lady. Thanks for sharing your grandma heart.
~Amy