She Shouldn't Have a Grandma in Heaven

A Gift for Mom! 🤍

There she sat in the back seat, sobbing. I could tell the kind of tears that flowed down her cheek.

She missed her. My mother. Her grandmother.

RELATED: Even Though You’re In Heaven, Your Grandchildren Will Know You

She’s only eight, but sometimes it hits her unexpectedly, just like me. She’s only eight, but she grieves, too. Sure, she is resilient as they say kids are, but she hurts, too.

She tucks away the pain sometimes just like the rest of us.

And sometimes, like tonight, it flows out of her, unable to be stopped or swallowed.

I hate this part of losing my mother. Maybe more than anything else.

RELATED: When a Parent Dies, Part of Your Heart Will Always Be Broken

Seeing her ache and experience her first true heartbreak is crushing as a parent. I want to soak up the tears. I want to erase the pain. I want to steal her sorrows and her hurt.

I wish she didn’t have to experience a loss as deep as this one, especially as a child. She deserves to have all of her loved ones here guiding her and filling her life with memories and love.

She shouldn’t have to explain she has a grandmother in heaven.

She shouldn’t have to hurt, but she does. We all do.

Those tears falling in my back seat are little drops of love. Tiny little drops of love that fall from her eyes more often than my heart is prepared for.

She is only a child, but she grieves, too.

And as much as I want to erase her pain, I can’t. So I won’t try to make her smile. I won’t try to change the subject. I won’t try to avoid the pain even though I desperately want to.

RELATED: We Can’t Talk People Out Of Their Grief, But We Can Sit With Them Through it

Instead, I will tell her I love her. I will sit and hold her while she aches. I will listen to her. I will remind her it’s OK to cry, and hurt, and be sad.

And when she’s ready, I’ll let her decide what to do next. You can’t erase grief, but you can surround it with love. So for now, that’s what I’ll do.

So God Made a Grandmother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

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grandma grandma in heaven grandparents Grief grieving heaven in heaven mom Mother my mom

Chelsea Ohlemiller

Chelsea Ohlemiller is well-known for her blog, Happiness, Hope and Harsh Realities. She has written for multiple platforms such as Her View from Home, Love What Matters, and Scary Mommy. She has had essays featured in two Chicken Soup for the Soul collections, as well as the national bestseller So God Made a Mother. Her first book is available now, "Now That She's Gone". She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and three children. Website: www.hopeandharshrealities.com Instagram Handle: hopeandharshrealities Facebook: @hopeandharshrealities

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She Shouldn’t Have a Grandma in Heaven

RELATED: Even Though You’re In Heaven, Your Grandchildren Will Know You

She tucks away the pain sometimes just like the rest of us.

RELATED: When a Parent Dies, Part of Your Heart Will Always Be Broken

She shouldn’t have to explain she has a grandmother in heaven.

RELATED: We Can’t Talk People Out Of Their Grief, But We Can Sit With Them Through it

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Chelsea Ohlemiller

The Due Date that Never Comes

Repotting Myself: What My One‑Armed Grandpa Taught Me About Growing Anyway

When I Look In the Mirror, I See My Mother

I Lost My Daughter on Mother’s Day: 3 Truths I’m Believing Today

I Miss Having Parents

What No One Tells You about Losing a Sibling

Grief Didn’t Break Me, It Rearranged Me

I’m Learning To Be Soft and Strong

The Legacy Our Mothers Leave Is In the Details

You Never Get Over Losing Your Mother

Get It Now

So God Made a Mother

She Shouldn’t Have a Grandma in Heaven

She tucks away the pain sometimes just like the rest of us.

She shouldn’t have to explain she has a grandmother in heaven.

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

The Due Date that Never Comes

Repotting Myself: What My One‑Armed Grandpa Taught Me About Growing Anyway

When I Look In the Mirror, I See My Mother

I Lost My Daughter on Mother’s Day: 3 Truths I’m Believing Today

I Miss Having Parents

What No One Tells You about Losing a Sibling

Grief Didn’t Break Me, It Rearranged Me

I’m Learning To Be Soft and Strong

The Legacy Our Mothers Leave Is In the Details

You Never Get Over Losing Your Mother

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