Tiffany Maye Willson-Bennett Apr 14, 85 - Jan 24, 04

Our granddaughter Tiffany was only here long enough to have her feet in 3 decades .. but oh the impact she had on her grandma. The day she was born I was out of town speaking .. telling "my story" to women in Sequim, WA. at a Christian Women's Club. Those days we didn't have cell phones so I didn't get the news until that night that our fifth grandchild had been born .. our second granddaughter. We went right to the hospital to see her. In my eyes she was the most beautiful adorable little brunette granddaughter we had ever seen. :) Our first was a blond as were all our grandsons up to that time. As I held her in that magical moment how could I imagine that one day I would be by her bed as she prepared to go back to the God who had created her and given her to us. It is written in the Bible ..."The Lord gives and the Lord takes away .. "

Today is the 7 year mark since she left us. I remember the morning the phone rang at 6:30 .. I knew before I answered .. she had gone. I cried out in my heart "Tiffany come back!" and heard her gentle reply "I can't come now grandma, my Father is calling me." I picked up the phone and my former daughter in law (now my daughter in love) told me "Mom she is gone." We cried together ... I set the phone down looked out the window at my beautiful view of the Columbia River and Mt St Helen's and thought so this is what a world without Tiffany looks like. The bible says, "Blessed in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints."
"Well quite honestly Lord it is not a blessing to me. I want her back!" This began my journey without my little heart charmer .. a life forever changed by the coming of that little spitfire and a life forever changed by her going out of it.

I have decided this day I am going to write Tiffany's story as seen through the eyes of her grandma. It is my gift to her mommy and daddy but most of all to the One who gave her to us for 18 short years. I want to write her story and mine ... she was/is my treasure and for as long as I live I want the world to know SHE lived and had a message. So this "Ship called Sojourner" in the blog "Aunt Grovie's Ruby Ring" will write and whoever wants may read.

Seven years is long enough to be silent. Tiffany, grandma is going forward and since I can't leave you behind you are going with me darling. I remember the day I first saw you driving YOUR car. Your hair had grown back after your first chemo round and was some curly. You were so proud. I was setting rocking in my rocker and like so many times before you crawled up in my lap nothing had changed except you were not a baby but an 18 year old girl with what we thought was your whole lifetime ahead of you. As I set here now I can still feel your body weight on my lap and remember the joy of that moment. I cried and you cried with me. Now I am crying again but I am crying healing tears. And you my little miss ... I am sure are making your Father smile as you always made us smile.