My Maternal Grandmother's Heavenly Helper

My Grandmother was a passionate cook, dancer and valedictorian of her school. She was a great seamstress and loved flirting with life. She loved to entertain and give joy in her cooking.

My father and mother met in high school when her stepfather sponsored her at 15 years old. She ended up in a convent with nuns to educate her, raise her and make her a better Catholic. She had been there since 3/4 years old since the Japanese American Invasion happened in the 1940s and her father was killed and the Japanese overtook their village. It was a horrific time as when the USA attacked; they (Japanese soldiers) would take the men from the villages and assassinate them as pawns.

The Japanese soldiers gave my Great Grandmother and Grandmother 5 minutes to get out of their house and my mother was 3/4 years old. At this point; they ran a rooming house and grew a garden and fed the tenants. My mother's brother was 8 years old.

At times the Japanese would use them as human shields when attacking US troops and then my Grandmother had to tie a rope to her own Mother who was hit by shrapnel and help her along and look after the kids. My Uncle the 8 year old, was very fond of the bongo players and band industry and hung out with them frequently. Afterwards, he left his mother to hang out with them. He was safe because the bands wouldn't be a threat a knew him. He later married a few times looking for love yet never felt love inside himself.

As my Grandmother used to disguise herself as an old lady trying to find food for my Mother and her mother. At time she had a black cloth to hide my mother but at one point a bullet grazed her leg and she thought she got an ant bite. She could only find rice and bits of chocolate to feed her. She eventually was found out by the Japanese soldiers and raped and left for dead. At this point, she took my mother to the convent to be safe and get healed.

She then proceeded to try to get her and her mother to the USA line. She calls the Victory Line where the base was safe and get help for the shrapnel wound her mother had. She made it but unfortunately, she was too late and her Grandmother died of infection.

Many people say I look like my Mother but more so like my Grandmother instead. My Grandmother loved to cook and dance and sew. I had followed in those footsteps but my inspiration for cooking was my skills in the sciences. I felt cooking was a science and any way my journey improved when I learned to cook for my allergies and my son's celiac disease and studied Ayurvedic medicine for 18 months.

My Grandmother was unlike me with roses, gardening and canning goods/ pickling vegetables and cooking all types of Asian foods. I was the cooking department but not the gardening. She would use her magical love and talk to the plants and used coffee grounds and egg shells. She even created a worm garden in hopes my Grandfather would go fishing as we ended up in Washington State.

My 2nd child was born and an Angel told me you must see her to give her a sign. She is looking for a sign to depart this world and you will do it. I was saddened but felt the urgency and I didn't want to from my heart but I knew God's will and I must. I urgently shared to my husband that I must see her and take the kids. He didn't want me to go with 2 kids alone and opted for the youngest as I was still breastfeeding her and she was suffering from colic and it was slowly decreasing.

I got a plane ticket and visited my brother's and parents and then I cooked a few dishes for Grandma as she was feeble and on oxygen tank and my Grandpa resentful as 24/7 stubborn caregiver. He was very abrupt and short with her and knew it was caregiver burnout. I then asked my Mom to watch her for the night and I would take my Grandpa to the mountains for a cowboy dinner and outing in the mountains. They thought he would never agree but I had a way with Grandpa and he came and even drove to the cabin and we had a cowboy steak dinner and then I cooked some other foods for lunch.

It was tiring going back but he said he had 5 to 6 loads of laundry. He was too proud and too stubborn to tell my Mom he shoved these in the other closed door bedroom. I then proceeded to wash loads of sheets and bedding and clean her clothes and the Arizona summer sun dried these in about 15 to 20 minutes and had the next load in. Stopping to sanitize and then breast feed my daughter and clean the kitchen and had my Mom dust and wipe down & sanitize the bed and keep a fan on and air out the two rooms with fresh air.

As she was gone with Grandpa to a doctor's appointment. I had finished my 6th load and had my Mom make her Mother's bed and sweep the floor. It smelled so clean. Just in time for her return and she wanted to lay down. I adjusted the fan several times to her comfort then shut the window facing the outside street. I drew the curtains and knew she felt cared for.

She wanted me to bathe her but I was exhausted and my Mom too. She promised to bathe her the next day.

The next day was my turn to leave back to Georgia to my husband and son. I had my Grandpa drive me to airport and gave him gas money. I had to say 'goodbye' to Grandma and I took my time as my daughter slept. I went in the room and she was talking no sense to me. I was told by Ascended Master Jesus: "Give her the sign she has been waiting for." I felt I didn't and he knew my protest and he said, "It is not up to you; this is her journey." I then was told to kiss her in the sign of the cross on her face. As I did this; she started quieting down and the last kiss was the hardest but I knew she had been waiting and kissed her chin. She was silent and the look on her face was pure peace and realization of what she needed to know if it was okay to leave this world. I told my Grandma: "I loved her and I would see you later."

I then got in the truck with my Grandpa and daughter on the way to the airport. I thanked him and didn't tell him that I was there to give her the sign. I told him: "I love you and see you later." After 2 weeks; she was hospitalized and died. I got a call from my older brother and he said, "Grandma passed." I said, "I know." Sorry to hear that and my brother asked me: "Are you okay?" I was sensitize to jarring news and got an allergic reaction after we hung up and ended up in ER for some reason as the grief was a bit much.

I guess you could say that I was my Grandma's Heavenly Helper.