A Tribute To My Grandma

Yesterday we had the opportunity to celebrate my grandma’s life. Her passing has brought many tears and continue to, knowing the life lessons, skills, and legacy of faith have now been passed on. I drove by her condo yesterday after the funeral and oh how I wished I could’ve seen her wave out her window just one more time. But the eternal hope we have because of Jesus Christ, made yesterday a celebration. As the pastor said, maybe she’s making her famous mashed potatoes in heaven right now! I can’t wait. My friend, if you aren’t sure where you are going or need a little kick in the pants with regards to your faith, heed the call. Make the choice today to live whole-heartedly for him! It doesn’t mean it’ll be easy, but it’ll be a walk that is safe, secure, and eternal, as my Grandma’s life represented. If you are stuck in a rut or want to learn more, please send me a message.

Below is the speech I gave at the funeral in honor of Grandma. I want to share this with you in hopes that you see the beauty of YOUR life as a puzzle that God continues to put together.

Remembering Grandma Bussis

Monday, July 27, 2020

As I thought about how to encompass how Grandma Bussis affected our lives, I couldn’t help but go back to the idea of a puzzle. I know I mentioned this in a social media post this past week, but for me, that is one of the most memorable moments I have with Grandma. Making puzzles with her. And it’s in the imagery of a puzzle, that I want reflect on her life with the memories and traditions she has instilled in us.  Many puzzle pieces have made up Grandma’s life and I want to share just a few of those with you.

A large number of those puzzle pieces are represented by the servant’s heart that God gave Grandma.  Grandma never forgot to send a card to anyone, even her great-grandkids. One day, she was writing something down on her calendar and I commented, “Wow, Grandma, you have a lot going on this month!” Mind you, this was during COVID. She said well, I have this birthday, that birthday, this birthday party, etc. And it reminded that Grandma never forgot anyone. Even while we lived in Minnesota, we wrote letters back and forth and often it was about the weather and who she went out with, but that was what life was about – WHO she was with.

Another part of her servant’s heart revolved around food. Amiright? Two words, my friends. Mashed potatoes. There was something about her mashed potatoes and us grandkids having to loosen our belts a notch just so we could squeeze in a little more! And the baked beans? How could we ever forget! One Memorial Day family get together, we finished the meal and as we were cleaning up, there sat the baked beans in the oven. And for some reason, we never let her forget. Poor Grandma! If you want to talk soup, she made the BEST pea soup. I can’t say I’m a pea lover, but her soup was MMM so good. Lest we not forget her pies and her cookies and/or brownie and can of pop if you were just stopping by.

Speaking of others, she loved us grandkids dearly. I remember having sleepovers with cousins at their old house on 72^nd and being a told all too often, girls, it’s time to go to sleep! I’m sure she got little sleep those nights, but every summer, she would still invite us back. Although I do wonder, how could anyone fall asleep with that black cat picture staring you in the face when you tried to fall asleep in the red shag carpet room? I give my mom, Lori, and Linda a whole lotta respect for their ability to handle that cat picture staring at them every night! So when the blue room, aka the boy’s room was an open option, I’d capitalize on that opportunity. And who didn’t love playing with that extendo-mirror in the bathroom? I never quite figured out how to use that thing anyways…But the cushion toilet seat? What a treat! Sleepovers at Grandma’s were special and oh the memories we all now have!

Some other pieces of the puzzle that made up Grandma’s life was in her ability to make things from scratch, just like the mashed potatoes. Think back to the countless towels and dishcloths she made every Christmas for the women and the afghans she made for each great-grand child! Nothing beat her handiwork. Grandma taught me to crochet and knit, so I’ve tried to replicate her towels, but fail every time. I should’ve realized, Grandma always did it best!

Another piece of that puzzle was Grandpa entering her life. How many times did you here Grandma say, “GEORGE” after he let a burp slip, even though you knew it was on purpose, or when he took out his dentures. Going to their house always meant you’d get a laugh in. I should mention too, she embrassingly told me the last time I was at the condo, how her and Grandpa met. She mentioned  that she met him behind what she called Borculo University (aka Borculo Christian). Apparently she was there with another guy and Grandpa was dating another girl. And I thought, HUH? She said shhh…don’t ever tell anyone that! Sorry Grandma, I had to tell because Grandpa was another perfect piece of her puzzle.

Speaking of puzzles, one of Grandma’s favorite sayings was, “It’s a hard one you know…” When she volunteered at Bibles for Mexico, she had to make sure all the pieces were there, so bummer, she had to make another puzzle! I remember spending hours making puzzles with her and her jokingly saying, “it’s a hard one you know.” It didn’t matter if it was a 300 piece or 1,000 piece puzzle, but she’d always find the perfect opportunity to say so.

But I feel like that coined phrase, “it’s a hard one you know,” summed up much of her life over the past few months, after being diagnosed with cancer. It was hard to sift through all of the pieces of the puzzle that seemed to fit nowhere, amidst COVID and cancer. Not a lot was making sense and her short battle with cancer was not easy. But on Friday night, God put the last piece of the puzzle together in Grandma’s life and left us with a beautiful picture of who she is. A picture that we will always treasure, where the puzzle pieces are glued together with her faith and love for our Savior. A Bible was never far from reach at her house and I’ll never forget when she told me with deep sadness that she missed one of Pastor Wagonmaker’s sermons because the sound wasn’t working that week. She wanted to soak in every minute of God that she could.

As her cancer progressed and how long she held on, it showed how she was never one to say goodbye well. Like I said, she cared about was WHO she was with. Saying goodbye at Grandma’s house was always a process and it first started with an offer of a cookie. Then a peppermint. One of my greatest memories was the glass bowl on the shelf filled with peppermints. Then she would remind me that I didn’t have to go so soon and to come again. While pulling out of the driveway, she would be waving out the door, to soak in every last minute.

That is what I take with me today. She did not let any opportunity pass. She made sure we all felt valued and loved. God created us to be relational beings and Grandma reflected that so well in her life. Death can feel so final or at least it does to us here on earth. But this is where life begins and has begun for Grandma. As we are left with the memories, Grandma’s life has a whole new beginning. And what more could we ask for? Her puzzle is complete. One that we can frame and look back upon with awe and wonder in who God created her to be. But we also live with the hope of who was behind that puzzle. The glue, in that of our Savior and creator. The very One who was her only comfort in life and in death. May the puzzle of our own lives be a reflection of the legacy of faith she instilled in us all and of God’s handiwork so that one day, God can put that last piece in the puzzle of our own lives and say well done, good and faithful servant. For surely, that was how God greeted her at the gates of heaven. And this time for her, there was no goodbye, but an eternal welcome.  Love you, Grandma and “see you later”.