Goodbye Gigi

On December 12, 2013, our sweet Gigi went to be with the Lord. She left this Earth surrounded by her children whom she loved dearly. Michael had gone down the day before and got to spend time with her on her last day with us. We are greatly saddened by her passing, although we know she was ready to be with the Lord and to once again be with her other family members who had passed before her. Gigi was an amazing woman… she was bright, humble, caring, generous, and had a wonderful sense of humor. She loved the Giants, Starbucks, and her family. I loved watching how she would perk up when Michael would walk in. Michael had a special way of making her laugh and smile and I loved how they would "talk baseball" together. She adored our kids too… Connor and Madeline both loved her dearly. I'm so glad they got to know what a wonderful woman she was. During one of our recent trips down to visit Gigi, she took the kids around the dining room and introduced them to all the residents. I loved seeing how she beamed with pride as she introduced her family. She was so proud to be a great-grandma. One of Connor's prayers recently stated, "Dear Lord, Thank you for taking Gigi to Heaven. Watch out for her, because we miss her here." We will forever miss you Grandma Mary, until we meet again. We will always remember you kindly. 

The following pictures are ones I took during the Rosary and Funeral service at Sacred Heart Church in Turlock. After looking through the pictures I chose for the blog, it dawned on me that many of them didn't accurately represent the sadness and grief that we were all feeling on those days. We all smiled for the pictures. although our hearts were hurting inside, as a way to honor and celebrate the life of our beloved. She was our legacy.