Sending a Blue Bird...

The summer before my 6th grade year, my mom's mom became sick. She was in and out of the hospital, and although they weren't sure what was wrong, I never came to the realization that it was anything serious or life-altering until we sat down with her doctor on August 4th,2000 to hear the news that she had cancer. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

Between her diagnosis and her death on August 17th, she was already basically gone. She was hallucinating and bringing up stories that we hadn't talked about in years. When she slipped into a coma, we knew it wouldn't be long until we lost her.

Those last days of her life were difficult for all of us. My mom spent a lot of time at my grandparent's house and would call us on the phone with updates. One of these phone calls included talking to my little sister, Kourtney. She was young, and very upset, and when the news of the cancer came on her birthday, she went through a really difficult time.

On one particular call, Kourtney asked my mom to please ask my grandma if she would send a blue bird so we know she made it to heaven okay. My mom had spent a lot of time talking to my grandma with no response, and she promised Kourtney she would pass the message to grandma.

I'm not sure how the exact conversation went, but I know my mom approached my grandma and told her that Kourtney had asked if she could send us a blue bird so we knew she was okay.

She responded for the first time in days, "I'll send a blue bird."

Shortly afterwards, my Grandma passed on. I remember waking up at 6:30 that August morning to the news after sleeping on the floor of their house in sleeping bags. It had been thunderstorming all night, and I thought that maybe God had been moving furniture for Grandma's arrival.

Kourtney and my younger cousin Kevin(I should mention at this point for those of you who don't know, my mom's brother Mike has two kids- Kyle and Kevin. We are all very close in age--> and all K's! Kristen, Kyle, Kelsey, Kevin, and Kourtney, in order) went outside after grouping together to say the lord's prayer immediately after her passing. On the porch outside of my grandparents house sat a blue bird. It was the first time I had seen Kourtney "at peace" since the diagnosis. Since then, they have been a type of "sign" for our family--> my grandma's grave sits near a tree and you would be hard pressed to visit it without seeing a blue bird.


I wanted this background information to be present when I told this part of the engagement story. My grandma and I were VERY close, and losing her so suddenly was hard on all of us. My mom was so strong when this happened, and I still can't believe she was able to help the three of us girls "heal" while going through the tragic loss of her mom.

One thing that my mom received with my grandma's passing was her wedding ring. It contained two diamonds that my grandma had had reset-- the engagement diamond of my great grandma as well as her engagement diamond.

Jonah asked my mom if he could set that diamond into an engagement ring for me.

Shortly after he proposed, standing downtown, calling my friends and family in frenzied excitement, sitting to the side of the bench we were near, sat a blue bird. It was November and in most cases much too cold for blue birds to be near.

I wish I could've captured a picture of that blue bird. The full circle still chokes me up--as we call friends and family to tell them this exciting and amazing news, a blue bird shows up to share in the excitement.

So, thanks Grandma, for sending a blue bird.