Great-Grandma Smoak

In the evening on December 2nd Grandma Smoak went to be with the Lord.  She fought hard this last year, battling a very aggressive brain tumor and that night the Lord brought her home, healed her completely and she is now enjoying every moment praising our Lord and Savior.  Charles and I were able to meet his parents at the nursing home that night and had a special time of prayer, thanking Him for all of the time He gave us with Grandma Smoak, praising Him that she was a child of His and excited that this was not goodbye but "see ya later" when we will all be reunited in Heaven one day.  For the last year Chase would randomly ask if Great-Grandma was better yet.  We would always respond by saying that Great-Grandma was very sick and that as soon as she meets Jesus in Heaven she would be all better.  With that said, here is how the conversation went when Charles and I talked to them the next morning:
Charles: Great-Grandma died.  She is no longer sick.  She is now better!
Chase: Oh!
Charles: Why is Great-Grandma better?
Chase: Because she went to Heaven and Jesus made her better.
Charles: Why did Great-Grandma go to Heaven?
Chase: Because she asked Jesus into her heart.
Charles: That's right!  She asked Jesus to be her Savior, to forgive her sins and to come live in her heart.

That was the end of the conversation but Chase's mind must have kept processing it because this is how his prayer went before lunch that day:
Chase: Dear Jesus, thank you for today.  Thank you for me, for Jacob, for Mommy, Daddy and Luke.  Please help us to make good choices.  Thank you for Great-Grandma and for making her all better.  Thank you for our food. Amen.
Me: Chase, every time you pray Jesus hears you.  And Great-Grandma is all better because she is now with Jesus.
Chase: Yeah.  (Pause) And Jesus, please tell Great-Grandma I said hi.  Amen.
 
I literally had to turn around to hide my tears.  It still brings tears to my eyes to think about his prayers that day.  He is only 3 (almost 4) and it amazes me to think how much he already understands. 

This is the day (in Jan. 2007) that she met her very first great-grandchild.  What a sweet meeting it was and you can tell by the smile on her face how much she loved her great-grands and how proud of them she was!

Chase with Great-Grandma when he was 6 months old

Great Grandma with Chase (Christmas 2007)

Great-Grandma meeting Jacob (May 2008)

Christmas 2009 - our last Christmas with Great-Grandma

As soon as Luke was born we wanted to get a picture of him with his Great-Grandma but she had gotten so sick by that point that no one really would have wanted a visual reminder of that.  Great-Grandma leaves behind 3 great-grandsons that will always be reminded of how much she loved them and how much joy they brought to her.  So thankful that she is tumor free, able to walk and run and sing praises to our king!  She has no more pain and no more sickness, praise Jesus!!