Family over Distance

Around 10PM yesterday evening I received a phone call from Diane, the lady who is currently taking care of my Grandmother (Mom's Mom). They live in Southern Indiana. Diane informs me that Grandma is in the hospital because her pneumonia, which she has had since June, has gotten worse. There are multiple reasons why this is sad...first cause no one lives close enough to be with Grandma, second, my Mom is in Africa, third, Grandma does not remember who any of us are (so it doesn't make much of a difference if we lived close or not), and lastly...well she's sick and in pain. My sister-in-law, Holly, is the only person who lives close enough to go an check on Grandma...and let's just say her life is a little bit busy...four kids, job, and my crazy brother to care for. And on top of all that she has a baby at home, which makes hard for visits to a hospital that is hours away! And again, even if one of us is there with Grandma she does really know who we are anymore anyway! So I get to be the one who has to call my Mom, in Africa, to inform her that her mother is still sick and in the hospital....and what do I hear 10,000 miles away on the other end of the phone....tears and sobs from my Mom, who feels more helpless than us all! I guess I am not looking for pity, I'll take the prayer if you want to offer it, but pity is of no use to me. The part I am sitting here struggling with this morning is FAMILY and DISTANCE. We don't live in the 'olden days' when everyone that was related lived within 10 miles of each other...we have things like cars, and airplanes to carry us thousands of miles away from each other. My Mom is serving Jesus, living her life for him in the heart of Africa, in the middle of nowhere. And her Mom lives in southern Indiana and is being cared for in the best way possible. Seems everyone is where they need to be right? So then why does it hurt so badly? Why do I long to fix it? Grandma's Alzheimer's is so bad that she did not even remember who Mom was last time she was with her. In some ways Grandma is already 'gone'...she's not really with us anymore. But that doesn't stop us from want to care for her and make sure she is OK. So how do I pray for this one? Lord please heal Grandma? Lord please take Grandma to be with you? And the other hard part is that we are still dealing with the loss of my Grandpa, who died only 2 months ago. That pain is still fresh and raw. I really have no point...just pouring my heart out on paper so to speak. Thanks for listening! :)