I was driving down the road a few days ago and I heard a song that stopped me in my tracks.
Scotty McCreery's "Five More Minutes."
It wasn't until the end that the song had me in tears.
The lyrics read:
"At eighty-six my grandpa said there's angels in the room
All the family gathered 'round knew the time was coming soon
With so much left to say I prayed Lord I ain't finished
Just give us five more minutes"
This September 21st, it was exactly two months ago that I lost my best friend.
My grandmother was my rock, my biggest supporter, and the most loving person I have ever known. Her passing was sudden and extremely heartbreaking. The week she passed was the hardest and most eye-opening week of my life. To watch someone die is so tragic and beautiful at the same time. In five short days, my Nana went from her normal self to an unforgettable state I will never un-see.
On day one, she was still my Nana. She was there, she was present, and she was happy. We talked and laughed and everything in the world was right. She was starting to get very confused, but I didn't take that as anything to be concerned about.
Day one was the last day I saw my Nana as herself. I will never regret randomly stopping by to see her that morning and spending the whole day with her.
Day two started the heartbreak. On day two, my Nana went into a coma. We all sat around her, tears in our eyes and begged for her to come back. Hospice told us she had no more than 12 hours. We made peace with the news and called her closest friends, family and the pastor to come see her. We all said goodbye and we told her we loved her. We prayed for her to feel at peace and we wanted nothing more than for her to stop suffering.
Day three came around and Hospice was wrong. My Nana was there and she had woken up from her coma. Scotty McCreery describes day three perfectly for me. My Nana didn't leave us the night before because she never got to say her goodbyes. Hospice came back and told us we had another 12 hours or so... That was even more heartbreaking to hear the second time because I had my Nana back, telling me she loved me. She went in and out of her coma that day. At some points she would begin to talk, but she wasn't actually there. She told us she could see her parents, her siblings, and even my Poppy. Just like the song said, there were angels in the room. That evening, I had to leave for work so I hugged my Nana one more time and told her I loved her more than anything in the world. A tear fell from her eye and she called me "number one" for the last time.
On day four, she was back in a coma. She was gone and she wasn't coming back this time. I tried not to cry because all I wanted was for her to be at peace. She suffered horribly for so much longer than she had to. We sat around her bed begging for her to go, but she just couldn't leave us. No one had left her bedside the entire week.
On day five, 72 hours more than what Hospice had originally told us, my Nana passed away. She stopped breathing at the only moment that week that no one was sitting with her. Something in her couldn't let go in front of us. She knew it would break our hearts more than anything to watch her take the final breath.
Two months later, with a broken heart still aching every single day, I just wish I had five more minutes. I miss her more than anything in the world, but I couldn't be happier that she is at peace and with her loved ones again.
